


Securing Evidence

by Beryll (Rynthjan)



Series: Malicorn Cops [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Cops, Malicorn, Multi, Off-Screen Murder, Past Abuse, Sexual Content, Slavery, Violence, phoenix empire, pig products
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-26
Updated: 2012-06-04
Packaged: 2017-11-06 01:10:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/413059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynthjan/pseuds/Beryll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When his master is brutally murdered, the life of a pet takes a sudden and unexpected turn for the better</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the year 5054 of the Phoenix Empire timeline.
> 
> Notes about Malicorn:  
> Malicorn's two main income sources are pigs and tourism.  
> The planet entertains guests from all over the empire, both commoners and nobles. The duchess is very aware that feeling secure is a big part of enjoying your vacation, so Malicorn has a planetary police force, laws and judiciary system - meaning not every noble gets to decide things in his small fief but there are planet wide rules and people to enforce them.  
> This police force is made up of commoner officers and a few noble chiefs who are hand-picked and paid by the duchess.  
> There are also several special "task force" teams, each in charge of one major tourism area, dealing with crimes against the duchess herself. This can involve personal threats, but most of it concerns finding and exterminating everyone who tries to dodge taxes or bypass the many monopolies the duchess holds.

"Commander Sirenkov here."

"Commander, we have a Code Blue 3 in Garden City. Multiple neighbours have reported gun fire in front and inside a house."

"Copy that. What is the address?"

"Sickle Road No. 12, sir."

"My team is on the way. Secure a perimeter but do not proceed inside!"

"Yes, sir!"

-

I couldn't help a small, choked sound escaping me when someone violently yanked on the chain connected to the cheap plastic collar around my neck. The pulling stopped immediately, but now I had given away my hiding place.

"There is something under the bed." An unknown, male voice said surprised, its owner probably also the owner of the pair of heavy combat boots I could see next to the bed from under it.

I tried to make myself even smaller, pressing against the wall under the headboard. Pointless, of course, but the reflex was too strong to fight.

Moments later, a face appeared at the other side of the bed, peering at me curiously. I had just time to recognize it as female, framed by a mob of blonde curls when it disappeared again.

"Make that someone." Another voice commented, presumably the woman who had just spotted me.

"There is someone under the bed?" the male voice again.

"Yes, Mr. Quick-Smarts. There is a pet under the bed." This time the woman sounded decidedly amused.

They also didn't sound at all like the angry thugs who had stormed the house earlier and shot my master. My late master. When I had heard gun fire downstairs, I had immediately fled under the bed. 

Life as the pet of various, not very law abiding masters had taught me to take cover as soon as bullets started flying and to look dumb whenever I was claimed as spoils by a new master, should the old one lose the fight.

The owner of the combat boots went down on his knees to look under the bed as well and a male face came into view. Dark hair cropped short in a military cut, a handsome face with a nose that looked like it had been broken at some point, worried grey eyes.

We stared at each other, then the man plastered a reassuring smile onto his face.

While his voice before had been commanding and all business, it now took on a kind, almost cooing tone. "Hey there, little one." he addressed me.

What the fuck? Who did he think he was talking to? A scared kid? A kitty? Then again, I was curled up into a tight ball under a bed so maybe the impression could not be helped.

"My name is Alexej." he continued. "I'm with the police. You can come out now, it's safe. The bad people are gone."

I knew that of course. I had heard them depart. And then more stomping and shouting when these people arrived. So the police had come to investigate the crime scene. Lovely. That probably made me evidence or something. Not that anyone would be interested in what I had to say. After all, I was just a slave and a dumb pet to boot. I expected him to grab the chain again, pull me out and hand me off to someone else.

But apparently 'Alexej' was not familiar with the rough way people were supposed to treat dumb fuck toys. He just kept smiling reassuringly as if he had all the time in the world to coax me from my hiding place under the bed, settling more comfortably.

"I'll go talk to J'Tar, let her know we have a witness." The female voice said from the direction of the bedroom door.

Alexej paid her no mind, his attention reserved for me. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked, still in that voice you'd expect someone to use with a scared kid or animal.

The sad fact was that no, I could not tell him my name since I only had a breeding number. But I could give him a selection to pick from.

"They mostly call me slut or bitch." I answered. "Or fuck face or piece of shit or..."

I broke off as the pleasant smile fell of his face to be replaced by barely contained rage. I recoiled, expecting to be hit, which changed his expression again to apologetic and kind once more. What an odd, odd man. One would almost think he didn't like people calling me names.

"Well, those are not very nice names." He said, his voice carefully controlled. Now look at that, he really was pissed off at people calling me names. "How about I call you 'kid' until we can come up with a proper name for you, hm?"

That was certainly two worlds nicer than anything I had been named before and I couldn't help but smile at his genuine kindness. He seemed to accept that as agreement and an improvement in my condition.

"Now, kid, I promise I will protect you. You really can come out now."

He had a point there. It wasn't exactly comfortable crammed under the bed. Slowly I uncurled, stretching limbs which had gone stiff by now. He kept smiling at me encouragingly and I crawled out from under the bed, watching curiously what his reaction to me would be.

After all, I'm not exactly a high quality pet. I'm what they call 'breeding by-products' - a slave where the careful breeding programs did not produce quite the expected results. My eyes have a lovely lilac colour, but they are too large and my face is pretty but not perfectly symmetric, my hair was supposed to be bright green but instead turned out rather muddy. I'm too tall to be cute and too thin to ever look athletic. Add to that a selection of marks left by pervious users and some fresh bruises and cuts from a party two nights ago. All of which were clearly visible since I was only wearing a pair of tiny jeans short and that ugly plastic collar.

He was shocked. No way to put it more mildly. He was trying to cover it up, but as a pet you have to get really good at reading people or you won't last long.

Pity. When was the last time someone had honestly pitied me? It felt strange.

Being a good slave, I went to my knees after getting out from under the bed which felt a bit pointless considering he was still kneeling as well and we were pretty much on a level now. 

But holy damn, he was one hot item. He had that athletic build I would always be lacking, with muscles that looked like they were cast in ceramsteel. Wearing a tight, sleeveless shirt under a combat vest and equally tight, lightly armoured pants, complete with a tool and weapons belt he looked to me like he had climbed straight out of some military porn movie. If you have been fucked by so many god ugly thugs as I have been, a really sexy hunk just makes your mouth water and I had to fight hard not to drool but to keep my eyes carefully on the ground.

Thankfully, he was much too preoccupied with worrying about me to notice.

"Did your master do this to you?" he asked with barely suppressed anger, gingerly touching a bruise decorating my left flank.

Damn it. He wasn't just gorgeous looking, he was also genuinely nice. What a devastating combination.

I shrugged, scanning the room, now that I got a good look at it for the first time since I had fled under the bed. My master had stormed inside shortly after the shooting had started, closely followed by his murderers. Now he was lying in a pool of blood, close to the doorway leading to the bathroom, his head a splattered mess. Apparently all the shots I had heard in the room after they were done talking had gone into his head. 

He made an exceptionally ugly corpse with his unbuttoned shirt having fallen open to reveal his fat belly. He ranked pretty high on my list of all time most disgusting owners, mostly due to his personal hygiene.

"Hey, kid, don't look at that." My caring police officer spoke to me again and gently turned my face away from the rather satisfying sight. "Come on, let's get you out of here, hm?"

He unclipped the chain that had tied me to the bed from my collar, got up from the floor and helped me up, too. Actually, he looked ready to pick me up and carry me away like some delicate princess when I leaned on him, my stiff legs refusing service for a moment. But that would have been a little too much for me to stomach, considering the whiff I got of his aftershave mixed with just enough manly sweat made my shorts get uncomfortably tight. So he just kept a supportive arm around me.

We made our way down the stairs and through the blood splattered living room where various, corpse shaped lumps under sheets added to the cheap décor now. He took me outside to the front porch where I had a view of several police cars parked in front of the house and the associated police officers taking photos and collecting samples of god-knew-what and politely holding back the curious neighbours.

The bright light burned my eyes, and I realized I had not been outside the house in daylight for weeks. While I still blinked, he gently settled me in a garden chair and produced a thin blanket from somewhere which he wrapped around my shoulders. The blanket smelled faintly of medicine and had probably come from the ambulance which was also parked out front.

Then he pulled up another garden chair and sat across from me, still with that reassuring smile plastered all over his face.

"Now, kid, I know this is all very scary." He said. "But I could really use your help. You're our only witness here, so I would like to ask you some questions. Would that be okay with you?"

I blinked at him dumbfounded. What? Dude, I'm just a slave. Whatever I have seen doesn't mean squat. But apparently, he really meant it as he just kept smiling, treating me like a human being instead of a piece of crap or a convenient fuck hole. God have mercy on me, why was this guy so horribly nice? I was smiling back at him before I knew what I was doing.

"Uh... sure, sir." I managed to say.

At that he frowned. "Please don't call me 'sir'. Just Alexej will do fine."

What a strange, strange man he was. But I was certainly willing to do for him whatever he desired. "Okay, Alexej."

"Thank you." He opened a notepad and pen. "So how did all this start?" He gestured towards two police officers who were carrying one of the covered corpses outside.

I told him how I had heard the gunfire downstairs and hidden under the bed, how my master had come running in, how he had rummaged in the wardrobe, how the thugs had burst into the bedroom. He was paying careful attention to everything I told him and I started raking my brain for every tiny detail I had noticed because he wrote down all of them

They had yelled at my master about some money he owed them. Then they had shot him and in turn rummaged in the wardrobe. I hadn't seen what they had taken but I guessed it had been the briefcase my master locked up his cash and files in.

Alexej sent up another officer who quickly reported that indeed the briefcase was missing.

It was rather silly but I beamed like an idiot when he praised me for paying such close attention.

Finally he had written down everything I remembered.

"Thank you, kid." He said. "That is some good information. I promise we'll find the murderers of your master and they will be punished."

Why he thought I would feel the people who had killed that fat bastard deserved any kind of punishment was beyond me but it was probably the handbook thing to say for a good cop.

"Now I need to talk to my team and see what else we have." He continued. "Will you promise not to try and run away if I just leave you here?"

What a stupid question. Where would I run to with nothing by tiny pair of shorts, a slave collar and a trauma blanket from an ambulance?

But I nodded to reassure him.

He moved off then and turned on his commanding and business-like voice again. I stayed in my chair, enjoying the simple feeling of sun on my face and a blanket to snuggle under. I watched him move in and out of the house, talking to several of the officers.

I was starting to doze off when another police officer approached me. This one a middle aged man, wearing a proper Malicorn police uniform.

"Come on, get up." He told me with a bored voice that made it clear this one did see me as nothing more than some piece of evidence.

I obeyed and he clipped a short leash to me collar. I followed as he led me to one of the parked police cars. We had nearly reached the car when the loud voice of Alexej stopped the officer leading me away in his tracks.

"Hey! Where the fuck are you going with him?!"

Moments later he had caught up to us and was glaring down at the confused officer.

"Sir? I'm taking him to the precinct. To the forfeit locker." He explained.

The expression passing over Alexej's face for a moment could only be called murderous rage, and the poor officer took a fearful step backwards. Alexej took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself without much success. 

I think all three of us were relived when the blonde female officer Alexej had been with when he found me under the bed quickly came up to us.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, skilfully inserting herself between Alexej and the officer still holding my leash, obviously not afraid, even though she was more than a head shorter than Alexej.

"He's... he's..." Alexej gestured towards me a bit helplessly. "He wants to take the kid to the fucking forfeit lockers!" He then exclaimed.

Neither me nor the poor officer saw the problem with that, but the female apparently did.

"Alexej. They won't store him on a shelf." she explained. "They actually have holding cells for slaves involved in crimes."

"Holding cells." he growled the words through clenched teeth, like it was some inconceivable horror, while I thought being locked up and left alone for a while actually sounded rather nice.

The female officer apparently had a clearer grasp on what his problem was. She laid a calming hand on his arm in a gesture that spoke of close familiarity between them. I curiously studied them more closely and then cursed inwardly as I noticed the matching rings on their hands. Married couple, and guessing from the silent communication happening between them and the way Alexej slowly relaxed, probably happily married. 

Damn it! Why were all the awesome guys straight? 

The female officer turned back to the one holding the leash. 

"What Commander Sirenkov was trying to say is that he wasn't finished yet with questioning the slave and that he is too important a piece of evidence to just let him be forgotten in a holding cell." She lied smoothly and with a pleasant smile took the leash from the still-confused officer. "I'll be handling this." She added and shooed the poor man away.

"He's coming to the HQ with us." Alexej stated in a 'do not argue about this' tone of voice.

She raised an eyebrow at him and for a long moment they seemed to be staring each other down. I was surprised when it was Alexej who looked away first, kind of cringing under her gaze. 

I still had no clue what exactly they were arguing about, but then again it really was none of my business. After all, I was just a dumb pet and not supposed to care about what happened to me. Not that that had ever worked for me.

"I'll take him to HQ and we can discuss the rest later, yes?" she said, apparently appeased by her victory.

He leaned down and gently kissed her lips, making me feel a decidedly unpleasant pang of jealousy and longing. What I wouldn't give for someone - especially him - to kiss me with so much care and affection.

"Thanks." He said. It was clear there was a lot of additional meaning to the word that only the two of them understood.

"No problem, love."

He addressed me then with that reassuring smile turned back on. "Go with Andrea. She'll take care of you."

I nodded obediently like a good little slave and watched him walk off, unable to take my eyes off his gorgeous ass.

I was yanked from my silent appreciation as the woman tugged on my leash. "That is Mistress Sirenkov to you, darling," she told me with a small smirk and I got the sinking feeling that she had noticed how I had drooled over her husband's ass.

I bowed my head, now closely studying my toes. "Yes, Mistress." I said, hoping that either she hadn't noticed after all or wouldn't hold it against me.

"Come on, let's get you to HQ." she said.

I followed her to a huge pick-up parked close by and climbed in the passenger seat like she motioned me to do. Moments later we drove off, leaving the house of my ex-master behind, towards an uncertain future like I had done so many times before already.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to the headquarter Alexej and his wife had spoken about took quite a while and gave me opportunity to study Mistress Sirenkov.

She was paying no attention to me, her fingers drumming the rhythm of some Youh'Kai rock music blaring from the speakers on the steering wheel.

Considering Alexej was certainly a prime piece of male attractiveness his wife didn't match that standard at all. She was short with a nicely athletic figure but lacking the soft curves one would have expected from the woman lying in a hero's arms. She wasn't pretty either, with a sprinkle of freckles on her nose and cheeks, startling green eyes and rather thin lips she had something impish. Her brow showed the beginning of lines which were indicators she frowned often but there were also small laugh lines at the corners of her mouth. The only really amazing feature about her was the mass of blonde curls framing her face. Grown out they would have made a stunning mane but they were hacked short just above the shoulders. A functional cut, not one chosen for looks.

Just like her clothes which consisted of the same lightly armoured combat pants and vest Alexej had been wearing, only she had a long sleeved sand coloured shirt under the vest.

I had to admit grudgingly they did match in a way, only not in the romantic heroic man / luscious woman way I would have preferred.

She also looked like the type of no-nonsense person who was strict but fair with slaves. Definitely a good thing in my eyes as these were comparably easy to get along with. Do as you're told and do it as best you can and you won't be punished. Not at all like her strangely kind husband.

I wondered what they were going to do with me now. After all sending me off with the officer to the forfeit locker seemed to be the "correct procedure" thing to do. Of course it wasn't my place to even think about it but I had the creeping feeling that Alexej had no idea what exactly he was going to do with me either. And a clueless master - even if he's just temporary - is rarely a good thing.

So I decided to do what I had lots of practice in - keep my head down and my mouth shut.

We made our way almost fully from one end of the city to the other to the expensive living quarter of Old Town and then to the very edge of it. There Mistress Sirenkov pulled into gravelled driveway onto a property dominated by a huge, old fashioned mansion surrounded by old trees that had probably belonged to a rich noble at some point. Now it bore a huge, bronze sign with the crest of the duchess next to the entrance. There was also some large script but since I couldn't read I had no idea what it said. Probably something like 'police'.

Mistress Sirenkov parked the pick-up in front next to a dusty jeep. She climbed out and gestured me to follow her, not bothering to pick up my leash again.

I have to admit I have never really understood the whole 'slave on a leash' thing. Either the slave would have followed you anyway making the leash redundant or the slave will struggle, making both of you look like idiots. And it's not like you need to put a leash on a slave so he won't run onto the street and get run over by a car. Granted - there are a few specimen that dumb but they'll also manage to hurt themselves doing something as harmless as sitting on a couch.

Then again there might be some hidden benefit in dragging around another person on a leash which is only obvious to slave owners. Why else would the practice be so popular?

I followed Mistress Sirenkov up the steps to the double winged front door. One of the wings stood open, revealing the entrance hall which had been converted to a reception area with a huge steel and glass front desk missing any kind of receptionist. The interior was surprisingly modern in style with enough high tech equipment to make me feel like I had stepped into some sort of action movie.

Mistress Sirenkov didn't stop but made her way straight through another open door behind the desk leading to a wide corridor with floor to ceiling glass windows to the offices left and right of it. The whole place had an airy, open feeling I had never seen before.

We headed to the end of the corridor where it opened up to what looked like what I imagined the bridge of a spaceship would look like with computers, 3d displays, huge screens, high tech command chairs.

In one of the chairs a young man reclined, several cables connecting from the chair to plugs inserted into his skull at his temple. He didn't fit the image of techie at all though since he was wearing shorts rivalling mine in brevity and a multi coloured t-shirt that was short enough to reveal his gorgeous six pack belly. He had the white blonde hair and perfect tan of a Malino surfer boy. He was pretty in that healthy way instantly making me jealous and feeling skinny and cheap.

"Jamie, has Alexej patched the data through yet?" Mistress Sirenkov asked.

The man opened one amazingly blue eye and smiled at her, showing perfect white teeth, matching the rest of his look.

"Yeah, I've set my routines on sorting through them. Results will be up in a few."

Then he noticed me and raised an eyebrow.

"And who is that?"

"Evidence." Mistress Sirenkov curtly shut off any further inquiries. "Were there any files on the vic’s pet?”

The vic’s? What was that supposed to mean? It took me a moment to figure out it must be police short speak for victim. I remembered hearing that in some trideo series. So she was asking for files about me.

“Yeah, the usual owner’s papers.” Jamie replied, still eying my curiously. Apparently it wasn’t standard procedure to bring living evidence back to the headquarters.

“Put them on my station, please.” Mistress Sirenkov asked. “And can you let Father Theran know I'd like him to have a look at the boy? We'll be in my office."

"Sure thing, 'Drea."

Back the way we had come we entered one of the offices. It held another of the high tech steel and glass desks littered with files and data chips but also a huge, comfortable looking leather couch with a low coffee table in front of it. The walls were decorated with an equal mix of medals, framed photos and crayon pictures, obviously done by a rather young artist. 

Great. So my hero wasn't just straight and had a loving wife, he also had offspring. There went my last chance of ever getting fucked by him, if ever I had had one.

I would have loved to walk around and study the photos but that of course was not proper slave behaviour. So I kept my eyes glued to my toes and even contemplated kneeling when Mistress Sirenkov addressed me.

"Sit on the couch."

I obeyed, still keeping my trauma blanket draped around myself, suddenly feeling quite naked in such an official looking place. The couch turned out to be just as comfortable as it looked and I had to resist the urge to pull up my feet and snuggle into a corner of it, instead sitting on the edge and awaiting my next orders.

"I'll go and see if I can find some sweat pants and a t-shirt for you." Mistress Sirenkov said, surprising me and raising her a few notches in my appreciation towards the lofty place her husband currently occupied. "You just stay here."

When she was well out of sight down the corridor I used the opportunity to get a good look at the photos on the walls after all. Most of them were of what I presumed must be her and Alexej's daughter at various ages. They started out with baby photos, then an apparently quite enterprising toddler crawling all over various places. Then a blonde little girl that very much looked like her mother. One of those especially stood out. The girl hugging a huge bunny, sitting on her mother's lap, both of them smiling at the camera in blissful happiness. The most recent pictures were of a now young teenage girl with blue ribbons tied into her blonde mane. In one she was wearing mud green cameo fatigues and face paint, standing next to Alexej in a mirroring outfit, both of them grinning at the camera, both of them giving the thumbs up sign. 

I noticed with interest that Alexej was absent in all the older photos. So maybe not the girl's father after all. Not that it would make any difference since he obviously loved her to pieces judging by the look on his face.

With my survey of the photos done my eyes came to rest on Mistress Sirenkov’s desk. More precisely on a half-eaten sandwich lying forgotten in the general chaos. My deceased master had promised to feed me once he had enjoyed his own lunch after letting me go hungry since the previous evening. Stupid fucker kept going on and on about how he wouldn’t let me get fat when I was thin enough to look like a stick. I couldn’t help but wonder if she would miss it if it mysteriously disappeared inside my belly.

Before I could do anything stupid though I heard her voice in the corridor, coming closer.

“… has some bruises and cuts. Doesn’t look serious but you never know what other injuries he might have I can’t see.”

A male voice answered her, deep and gruff. “Most pets are a lot hardier than they look. You should be more worried about him carrying all kinds of disease, considering where you picked him up.”

He was right of course but I still was grateful for Mistress Sirenkov’s reply. “Be kind, Theran.”

Then she entered the office again, followed by a haggard, old man wearing the typical red robes of a Verata priest. I had never seen one up close but heard plenty about them whispered from rumours of demon worship to rumours of how they tortured anyone to death whose looks they didn’t like. Certainly not someone you would expect to look after a bruised slave.

Even creepier was the fact that the man was apparently trying to put on a reassuring smile.

“This is Father Theran.” Mistress Sirenkov introduced him, after putting a stack of clothes on the couch next to me. “He helps us out with forensics.”

Now that fit the picture much better. I could so imagine the priest gleefully cutting open dead or not quite so dead people to look inside of them.

“Hi there, boy.” He greeted me, still with that scary smile. “Come get up for me so I can have a look at you.”

I obeyed. I’ve been looked at by worse people, I told myself firmly. I even left my blanket on the couch without being told so.

While Father Theran was scanning me with some technical device, Mistress Sirenkov sat behind her desk and pulled up a 3d interface, reading data. I turned around and raised my arms when told to do so.

“The boy’s mostly fine.” The Verata told Mistress Sirenkov when he was done. “He is bred to heal quickly. His bruises will be gone in a day or two and he has no internal injuries. A few broken and badly healed bones but nothing serious. He is quite undernourished, though. You should see about getting some food into him.”

Suddenly Father Theran didn’t seem all that bad anymore. What an excellent suggestion. I almost spoke up to try and claim that sandwich again but then remembered just in time to keep my mouth shut.

“Anything else you need, ‘Drea?” Father Theran asked.

She smiled at him warmly. “No, thanks. Alexej will have some corpses to poke for you when he comes back.”

“Good, good.” The priest rubbed his gnarly, old hands. “I’ll be downstairs then.”

When he was gone Mistress Sirenkov turned that same warm smile to me. “Put on the clothes I got for you. I’ll find you some food.” Then she smirked. “And stop eyeing my sandwich. That’s from yesterday. I’ll get you something better.”

Damn it! Did she notice everything? My annoyance must have shown on my face as she laughed out loud, deeply amused. Somewhat startled I realized that she probably was just as kind a person as her husband; only she was behaving more appropriately.

“Thank you, Mistress.” I said, actually meaning it.

She just nodded and headed out of the office again.

I picked up the clothes she had put on the couch. It turned out to be grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt, both much higher quality fabrics than I was used to. The sweat pants felt so soft I had to remind myself to actually put them on instead of just stroking them.

I considered just pulling them over my shorts but then decided to get rid of that last piece of clothing provided by my former owner. Not like they had any sentimental value.

Both the pants and the t-shirt were too big for my thin frame and made me feel even uglier than usual. I liked proper pet clothes to display my few assets. Not the slutty shorts maybe but skin-tight denims and tiny t-shirts exposing my belly did look kind of good. But I certainly wouldn’t complain.

By then Mistress Sirenkov was already coming back, carrying a bottle of water and a plate with two piggie sandwiches. It’s one of Malicorn's famous pork dishes. Two thin slices of grilled pork meat, with fried bacon rashers and a bit of cheese between them. Totally yummy but not something I had ever been allowed to have more than a bite of. Way too much fat and way too expensive. It smelled heavenly.

“Look what I found in the fridge. Threw it in the microwave for you.” Mistress Sirenkov said and smiled at me indulgently. “I hope you like pork?”

She set the plate and the bottle down in front of me and I eyed first her and then the meal with some suspicion. Was this some sort of trick? Would I be punished if I accepted such inappropriate food? But then I silently scolded myself. These people were not cruel criminals who liked to play mind games with helpless slaves to fabricate opportunities to torture them.

So I picked up the plate and deeply inhaled the scent, my stomach doing a double flip of happy anticipation.

I should really have taken the time to thank her again but I decided I’d still have time for that later. Instead I picked up the sandwich and took a first, dainty bite. It was an explosion of tastes on my tongue and I closed my eyes to savour it with a small sound of bliss.

“I see you do like it.” Mistress Sirenkov said, sounding very pleased with herself.

“Thank you, Mistress.” I did say after swallowing.

Never speak with a full mouth. Whether it is food or cum in it doesn’t matter.

“You’re welcome, darling.” She nodded, satisfied. “I have work to do. Eat up and then take a nap or something.”

“Yes, Mistress.” I couldn’t agree more with these orders.

I took my time with the two sandwiches, both to enjoy them and to go easy on my stomach since it had been a long time I had had such rich food. I should probably have stopped after the first one but it was just too good to leave it. So I felt a little like a stuffed pig myself when the plate was empty. At least I had managed to empty half of the water bottle as well.

This time I did dare to pull up my feet onto the couch and scoot back into a corner to curl up for a nap with my trauma blanket for snuggling. Mistress Sirenkov had not returned to the office. I occasionally heard her voice from the command centre room at the end of the corridor. It was more than a little silly but it was reassuring to know she was close by. Feeling warm, sated and even safe it didn’t take me long to doze off.


	3. Chapter 3

"... can't just leave him here on the couch, you know?"

The drone of voices nearby had been slowly pulling me out of my sleep but these were the first words to actually penetrate the haze.

"Well, I won't put him in those evidence holding cells!" Alexej's voice got me wide awake. So he had returned to the headquarters. And they were talking about me. "Have you ever been there? It's horrible!"

"Yes, love, I have been there." Mistress Sirenkov, calm and patient. "And it's not horrible. It's clean, they get fed regularly."

"They just sit in their cells, staring off into nothing. Do they drug them?" Alexej sounded vivid.

I cracked an eye open to locate them. They were standing outside the office in the corridor, arguing.

"Alexej... what the hell do you expect them to do? Sing and dance for your pleasure?" She was being sarcastic, of course, but she did have a point.

Apparently Alexej had to concede that as well as his next words were less outraged. "Anyway. I won't let them have the kid. Can't we just take him home with us?"

That got me to perk up. They were commoners, so maybe they didn't have many slaves and room for another one. Of course, I had no useful skills whatsoever. As a single-use pet I'd not received any training apart from the bare basics of how to give a blowjob or how to keep still when getting fucked. But that didn't mean I couldn't learn. And damn, for owners such as these two I would have gladly given my right hand.

"He is evidence after all." Alexej continued, immediately putting a damper on my hopes. "He can help identify the killers of his master, so we should keep him in eyesight where he can't be removed."

Mistress Sirenkov remained curiously quiet for a while. Then she said: "I guess there's no harm in that."

There was an odd undertone I couldn't identify in her voice, but Alexej seemed oblivious to it.

"That's settled then." He stated and I quickly closed my eyes again to pretend I was still asleep when he came into the office.

Moments later the couch dipped as he sat on it and a comfortingly big and gentle hand touched my shoulder. "Kid, wake up."

I blinked at him sleepily, trying to give a credible show of just waking up. He still looked as good as he had earlier, only his hair was more tousled now. I also noticed Mistress Sirenkov standing in the doorway behind him, her arms crossed over her chest, watching thoughtfully.

Alexej turned his gorgeous reassuring smile on me again and Mistress Sirenkov faded out as my full attention was drawn to him.

"You look much better already." He told me, making me feel all fuzzy. Of course he didn't mean it the way I wanted it to be, but rational thought was hugely overrated anyway.

"I have to quickly take care of a few things here but then we'll go home." He continued. "We've decided that you'll be staying with us for the duration of the investigation in your master's murder."

I wasn't sure if he expected a proper answer to that so I just nodded.

"Now, kid, I want you to do something for me..."

Blowjob?! I'm good with blowjobs! Really! No one has ever complained! I'll...

"I want you to start thinking about a name for yourself. We can't just keep calling kid, can we?"

Oh. I really needed to get a handle on my reactions to this man. Or very soon I would make a complete idiot of myself and probably completely gross him out in the process.

"Think you can do that?"

In all honesty I had no idea whatsoever. How do you pick a name for yourself? But I also desperately wanted to please him, so I nodded again. How hard could it be? It wasn't like it had to be any fancy name. I would only have it as long as I was with Alexej and the Mistress, anyway.

“I won’t be long; I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Alexej added and then reached out and tousled my hair like I was some cute kid or dog.

Damn, it was insulting. Maybe I’m not drool-worthy, but to so clearly be shown he didn’t consider me sexy at all hurt. On the other hand, his kind touch made me tingle all over and I wanted to rub against his leg. What the hell was wrong with me? Granted, he was pushing all my buttons, but that didn’t explain why I had to resort to iron self control not to beg him to fuck me.

I didn’t have time to dwell on the question as he got up, put a short kiss on his wife’s cheek as he passed her and then left. Which left me with the Mistress, still watching me with that thoughtful expression on her face. 

She slowly came in, closed the door to the office and then sat in the spot Alexej had just vacated. I tried to tell myself she didn’t look threatening at all and failed miserably. Instead I tried to shrink away from her, melting with into corner of the couch.

At least she came straight to the point. “I think you have noticed that my darling husband is awfully fond of you.” She stated.

Not a direct question, so hopefully she didn’t expect an answer. Yes, Alexej was very kind, but up to this point I hadn’t connected that to my person. So he wasn’t like that with everyone? My hope tried to sore and I mentally tied a boulder to it. Fond in a ‘cute kid’ way, not the way I would have liked, I reminded myself. Again.

“I don’t mind that he likes you. Hell, it might actually prove to be good for him. But!” She held up a warning finger. “If you try to take advantage of that fondness I will be very annoyed and you will find yourself removed to some extremely unpleasant place before you can so much as explain that it all wasn’t your fault. Understood?”

That was not quite the warning I had been expecting. More something along the lines of ‘keep your filthy paws off my husband or I will cut them off’. What exactly was ‘taking advantage’ in her eyes? Should I ask her? Or would she consider that evasion tactics already? How did one take advantage of an owner anyway? Just great, another thing to figure out as quickly as possible before it got me into all sorts of trouble.

She was still looking at me sternly, this time obviously expecting an answer.

“Yes, Mistress.” I replied meekly, hoping that would buy me time to learn what exactly she expected me to do and not do.

She raised an eyebrow, apparently not entirely convinced. But then she nodded slowly. “I’ll be watching you.”

Of course she would. With the precision of a fucking surveillance drone, not missing even the slightest misdeed. I was sure of that at least.

That finished the conversation for her as she got up and headed back to the command centre, leaving me behind to ponder her orders. Maybe it meant I wasn’t allowed to beg for gifts. I knew that precious pets often got gifts from their masters. But I was no precious pet, and I was hard pressed to imagine Alexej buying expensive gifts for me, fond or not. Maybe it was a convoluted way of telling me to keep my hands off her husband after all. And maybe I just didn’t have a clue.

Next question. How do I get into Alexej’s pants?

No, damn it, not that one!

A name for myself. With sudden dread I realized I didn’t know that many names. A lot of ugly nicknames like Knuckles, Dogman, Tank, Boots, names the thugs who worked for my various masters had. But not any proper names. That I wanted a name that would please Alexej didn’t help either. The only names popping into my head were those of famous people. Sir Relais, Sir Yaden, Prince Lenien – certainly not people a lowly fuck toy like I should steal a name from.

“Here I am, kid.” Alexej’s cheerful announcement told me that my time was up and I had nothing to show. “Ready to go?”

I put on my bravest smile and nodded. Maybe he’d not ask about the name straight away. Or maybe he’d forget about it altogether. Chances of that were probably as slim as I was. I got up from the couch and gathered up my trauma blanket which Alexej eyed curiously.

“You know, we do have blankets at home.” He said gently, like explaining something to a moron. “You can leave this one here.”

He was right, of course, but still I was loath to let go of it. Alexej had given it to me, and even though it had only been in my possession for a few hours, it was pretty much the only thing anyone had ever given to me to comfort me, so already it held ridiculous sentimental value. But Alexej wasn’t picking up on any of the emotions that must have been written all over my face. Compared to his observant wife he was completely clueless, I realized. 

Did her cryptic warning have something to do with that fact, I wondered, only to come up blank again. Still no idea what she expected me not to do.

And Alexej was still looking at me expectantly.

“Can I please keep it for a while?” I asked, hoping that didn’t constitute as any ‘taking advantage’.

He smiled broadly if a bit confused. “Sure, kid, no problem.”

Together we left the headquarters. I noticed that now there were a lot more vehicles parked in front next to the jeep and Mistress Sirenkov’s pick-up. A large, old fashioned motorbike that looked like it was running on real fuel instead of an electric battery, a sleek hoverbike, a beat up little car with plenty of rust patches. I tried to match up which one of them Alexej probably had arrived with. Not the jeep as that had already been here. Either the motorbike or the hoverbike I decided. 

Wouldn’t it be totally sexy to snuggle up on a hoverbike behind him? All sorts of interesting places I could reach with my hands while his were busy with the controls.

But he headed to the pick-up. “We’ll get Shalice from school as well.” He explained.

Oh joy. So I would meet the other woman who occupied the prime estate parts of his heart. That killed the mood like a bucket of cold water. 

I climbed into the passenger seat again and we were off. This time, we didn't have a long drive as we headed for Beach View, which was situated on the coast of the sea up from the tourist centre of the city and bordering on Old Town. Lots of large, but not too expensive old houses, each with their own little strip of beach. They had been built before the city got into the tourism trade under Duke Mel’s rule and still mostly belonged to families who had been Malicorn commoners for generations. I only knew about that since one of my former masters had spent hours ranting about how he wasn’t able to get a decent home there because the snotty, long established locals didn’t allow anyone new into their little enclave.

On the edge of Beach View, we stopped before a large, sprawling building which, judging by the abundant amount of kids of various ages all in the same uniform milling about, had to be the school. Since I had studied so many photos of her, I quickly spotted Alexej’s girl heading for the car. She was wearing the school uniform as well, a knee-long red skirt, a white buttoned blouse and red sneakers. Her hair was still that mop of blonde curls with blue ribbons I had seen on the photo of her and Alexej. I guessed her age to be thirteen or something like that.

When she noticed me in the passenger seat her eyes lit up with curiosity but she greeted Alexej first.

“Hoi dad, shot anyone today?”

He scowled at her. “No, love, I don’t go and shoot people just for fun, contrary to what your mother seems to think.”

She laughed and hauled her heavy backpack onto the load area of the pick-up. Then she climbed into the back of the car.

“And who’s this?” she then asked, looking at me.

“This is a slave we found at a crime scene today.” Alexej explained. “He is an important witness, so he will be staying with us for a while, until we have finished with the investigation.”

“Cool!” She beamed at me. “So did you see a corpse?”

I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to talk about that, so I looked at Alexej for pointers which he promptly interpreted wrong.

“Darling, he’s had a really scary day and I don’t think he wants to talk about the terrible things he has seen.” He admonished Shalice.

Actually, I was totally happy with the gruesome end my late master had found. It could have been a bit slower and more painful, but all in all it was exactly what he had deserved in my humble opinion. But of course, I wouldn’t say that out loud now.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Shalice said from the seat behind me and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder as Alexej pulled out into the street again. 

Apparently she was just as ridiculously kind and caring as her parents. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to hate her for the fact that Alexej adored her.

Then she asked the worst question possible.

“What’s your name?”

Great. And there I was, hoping Alexej might forget all about that request.

“He doesn’t have a name yet.” Alexej explained to his daughter. “They only gave him a serial number.” Then he turned to me, smiling. “Have you come up with a name you’d like, yet?”

I so wanted to please him and I couldn’t even come up with a fucking name! I really was just a dumb, useless fuckhole. I could hardly believe my ears when Shalice came to my rescue.

“Dad! That’s a totally tough choice to make!”

He confusedly looked at her in the rear view mirror. “It is?”

Did he have to be so adorably male in his cluelessness?

“Yes, it is.” Shalice told him like she is talking to a retard. “It takes me ages to name a new character in a video game. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to name myself! Did you at least give him a choice of names or something?”

“Well, no, I was kind of busy with a murder investigation, darling…” Alexej defended himself.

“Never mind, dad.” Shalice waved him off. “I’ll help him. It’s not like you’re an ace in thinking up names, considering what you call mom.”

“What’s wrong with honeybunny…?” Alexej grumbled, but I noticed he was also smiling fondly.

Shalice ignored him and turned her full attention on me again. “So, a name.” she mused. “You do need a beautiful name, ‘cause you’re a really pretty boy.”

I glanced back at her in surprise. “You think I’m pretty?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“Of course you are.” She nodded, smiling. “I mean, just look at your amazing eyes. You look like some cool comic book character.”

I found myself smiling back, despite the fact that I had wanted to hate her. “Thank you, miss.”

“We could name you for your eyes.” She suggested. “Violet. No, too girly. Lilac sounds stupid. Purple is no proper name either.” Then she snapped her fingers. “How about Mauve? That’s exotic but not too much over the top.”

“Mauve?” Alexej interrupted, apparently paying more attention than he was letting on. “Is that even a name?”

“It is if he likes it, dad.” Shalice explained gently.

Then both of them looked at me expectantly.

“Mauve.” I said slowly, letting the word roll over my tongue. It felt earthy and calm to me. Things I would have liked to be but didn’t think I was. I liked it. I liked it way too much. I told myself again sternly it didn’t matter anyway since I wouldn’t keep the name for long.

“I think I would like that.” I told Shalice who beamed at me happily.

“Great.” She exclaimed. “Pleased to meet you, Mauve!”

“Mauve it is.” Alexej confirmed with a kind smile of his own.

Ridiculously, I felt like I had just received a beautiful gift. I was grateful when I didn’t get more time to dwell on it as we pulled into the driveway of a large beach house, surrounded by old palm trees.

“Here we are.” Alexej announced. “Home.”


	4. Chapter 4

If I had been asked to come up with one word to describe the Sirenkov family home it would have been 'welcoming'.

It was two storied, built from wood with a stone foundation. Large windows looked out over a porch which ran around the house. The garden around the house was dominated by huge, old palm trees spending shade to colourfully flowers which looked like they were mostly allowed to grow wild. Behind the house, I could hear the sea.

"Are you coming?" Shalice voice reminded me that I wasn't supposed to keep sitting in the car.

With dread I noticed that she had picked up her backpack again and I had missed my opportunity to do it for her, proving that I was a useful slave.

"I can take that for you." I quickly offered.

She looked surprised for a moment and then smiled at me brightly. "Thank you. That's very gentlemanly." She said, kind of missing my point. 

But she did hand me the backpack which turned out to be quite heavy, probably stuffed with important books.

Then I noticed that Alexej was frowning at his daughter, and wondered if I had made some stupid mistake.

"He's not some pack animal, you know?" he admonished Shalice.

Not cowed at all she glared right back at him. "He was being kind!" she retorted. "It's only polite to accept help when it's offered."

"He is just offering because he is a slave and feels he has to." Alexej pointed out, for once hitting the mark.

Still I didn't mind at all carrying Shalice' stuff. She had been nice to me and therefore was more deserving of my services than any of my previous owners. And what's the point of having a slave around, if you don't let him do any work, anyway? Of course, I kept quiet. Not my place to interfere. 

Shalice was now eyeing me critically. "So you insist that I carry my backpack?" she asked her father.

"No, dear, I just don't want you to expect him to do all your work for you." Alexej tiredly rubbed his face. "Let's get inside already. If Andrea catches us standing out here arguing about who carries what she'll laugh at us."

That made Shalice giggle and even I couldn't help but smile a little since I could very well picture Mistress Sirenkov poking fun at her husband and daughter.

We went inside, Alexej disarming a security system before he unlocked the door. The welcoming feeling of the house continued inside. The floor was worn wooden planking with woven rugs in muted colours. The living area was dominated by a huge couch and several armchairs facing a trideo entertainment centre as well as a large dining table. The kitchen was separated from the living room only by a wooden counter. A door opened onto the backside porch of the house from the kitchen. Stairs led up to the upper floor.

What was completely missing were any kinds of slaves. Them not having any slaves at all of course meant that they were even less likely to keep me.

"So where's Mauve gong to stay?" Shalice asked. "Guest room?"

Her question apparently startled Alexej, who looked like he hadn't considered the matter so far. It also shocked me. You don't put a slave in a guest room. You put him with the other slaves. Or chain him up in the kitchen. Or to your bed. With a sinking feeling I wondered if this fell under 'do not take advantage of my husband' clause. 

"Yeah, that should work." Alexej nodded at his daughter.

"Okay, I'll show him." She smiled at me. "Come on, Mauve. It's upstairs."

I tried to find a polite way of inquiring if there maybe was a more appropriate place to store a slave and failed miserably. By then Shalice was already half way up the stairs and I was starting to look ridiculous so I had no choice but to follow.

The upper floor had a small gallery overlooking the living area and a corridor with several doors. Shalice headed for the first door on the right and opened it.

"This is my room." She explained. "You can toss my backpack in there."

I had never seen the room of a teenaged commoner girl before, but I was pretty certain that a bow and quiver with arrows mounted over the desk were not the usual features. The rest was pretty ordinary. Bed, wardrobe, desk with a computer, clothes, books and plain stuff strewn all over the place. I carefully placed the backpack on the floor before following Shalice further down the corridor.

She opened another door at the end of it to a small room that was under the sloping roof on one side. There was large bed, dresser and a comfortably worn looking, huge armchair. A small window overlooked the sea side. It looked like pure luxury to me.

"We don't get many guests." Shalice told me. "Aunt Dasha sometimes stops by when she is on dirtside leave but that's it really. So you'll have the place all to yourself."

"Thank you, miss," I said, bowing my head, "it's really nice."

She beamed back at me. "You're welcome." She looked around the room again. "We should probably open the window to let it air. It becomes a bit stuffy when it hasn't been used in a while.

This time I was fast enough to get to the window and open it before she could do it for me. These people really had no clue on how to properly treat a slave. Well, maybe Mistress Sirenkov had, but her husband and daughter were just too eager to help to let a slave do all the work.

"The bathroom is over there." She pointed at another door in the corridor. "Would you like to take a shower or have a bath or something? You look like you could use one."

The thought was so enticing I nodded before I could think better of it. It had been quite a while that I had been allowed to thoroughly scrub myself clean with hot water. And I was very sure in this household I would not be forced to quickly dunk in a cold shower.

"There are big towels in the cupboard." Shalice explained, opening the bathroom door and pointing it out to me. "Dinner won't be for a while, so no need to hurry. If you need anything else just call, yeah?"

I nodded again and then she was gone, leaving me alone in the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

-

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I emerged from the shower, all damp and hot and steaming. The light had changed slightly, tinted with a bit of orange now I guessed it must be getting close to sundown.

After wiping the mirror with a towel I looked at myself and found a stupidly happy grin on my face. There was no denying it - I was feeling great. Squeaky clean and relaxed after the hot water of the shower had pounded on my shoulder until the muscles there gave in and gave up the hard knots they had tied themselves into.

I'd also used the opportunity to wank myself to two great orgasms shamelessly day dreaming about Alexej. That I was still feeling all twitchy and hot for him afterwards was a little frustrating but at least I had managed to take the edge off. 

So maybe this was just temporary bliss but it was pure bliss none the less and I vowed to enjoy every second of it to the limit. There was no point in worrying about what would happen when the investigation was finished and I was put back on the market to be picked up by the next fucker. It would just spoil what I had now.

I opened the bathroom window to let the steam escape and rubbed myself dry. Then I put the soft sweatpants and the t-shirt back on as they were the only clothing I had been provided with and left the bathroom and headed back downstairs to see if I could find a member of the Sirenkov family and maybe be of some sort of service.

Apparently, Mistress Sirenkov had come home in the meantime as well as I spotted her in the kitchen, now dressed in denims and the same long sleeved shirt she had been wearing before under her combat gear. She was unpacking grocery bags, presenting a perfect chance for me to be useful. Of course, there was no sneaking up on her. She turned and smiled at me the moment I left the last step of the stairs.

"There you are. Shalice said that you were cleaning up." She eyed me critically for a moment and then nodded satisfied. "Mauve, it is, yes?"

Now it was my turn to nod again. "Yes, Mistress."

She shook her head. "I'll take a guess: Shalice picked that name?"

"Yes, Mistress." I answered truthfully. "But I did like it." I then added, although she hadn't really asked about it.

"Good enough." She gestured to one of the bar stools at the counter. "Come, sit here."

I obeyed, wondering what she was up to as she rummaged through a drawer. She came back to me a pair of heavy pliers and I couldn't help flinching away.

"I won't hurt you, sweety." She told me gently. "I just want to get this god awful plastic collar off you."

I blinked at her in surprise. That collar had been around my neck since I left the slave breeding facilities where I had spent the first few years of my life. It held my ID chip and a tracker and was welded closed. Together with the barcode tattooed on my wrist it was the cheapest way of keeping track of single-use pets.

Apparently that didn't matter one bit for Mistress Sirenkov as she cut the collar off me. Then she pulled a dark brown leather collar from one of her shopping bags and fastened it around my neck. It felt soft and didn't chafe at all and when I felt it with my fingers I realized it was lined on the inside with some soft, slightly fuzzy material.

Again Mistress Sirenkov inspected me and nodded satisfied. "Much better."

To say I was confused would have been a major understatement. If Alexej had given me such a nice new collar I'm sure it would haven fallen under the 'don't take advantage' clause. But apparently mistress Sirenkov herself was allowed to buy me gifts.

"Thank you, mistress." I said while trying to catch a glimpse of myself in the window pane. The brown had looked like it would go well with the muted green of my hair.

"There's a mirror by the stairs." Mistress Sirenkov said, smirking as she of course caught me. "Go take a look. And then you can help me prepare dinner."

I went over to the big mirror next to the hall stand and silently looked at myself. It was like looking at a stranger, or more like looking like at a very strange version of myself. Fully clothed, clean and with the new collar I didn't look all that cheap and used up anymore, I realized. The small smile I could not suppress looked good on me as well. It tugged my hair behind my ears neatly. My eyes were still too large and too strangely coloured but maybe I'd have a chance to attract a decent buyer once this weird episode in my life was over.

Mistress Sirenkov had finished unpacking her grocery bags when I returned to her and was sorting through various food items on the counter.

"Have you ever cooked anything?" she asked me.

"I know how to make coffee, Mistress." I answered truthfully.

She laughed at that. "Well, that might come in handy at some point but I don't think coffee will cut it for dinner." She again checked the food and then handed me a chunk of bacon, together with a knife and cutting board. "Let's start simple. Cut this into small pieces for me, please."

I'd never handled a knife in my life but it turned out to be much easier than it looked as long as I didn't try to go as fast as Mistress Sirenkov did. She sliced up various kind of vegetables and another piece of pork in the time it took me to dice the bacon but she never hurried me, just looked in on my work now and then to nod approvingly.

When I was done she showed me how to fry the bacon in a pan. In time, the vegetables and the meat were fried as well, spices added and the kitchen filled with a delicious smell. I was put in charge of stirring the boiling noodles while Mistress Sirenkov put all the ingredients together, creating a thick stew.

It was plain exhilarating to know that I helped create a meal, that I had been useful. Not like in 'I had been used' but like in I had done something that produced a desirable result.

Then Shalice showed up from upstairs, drawn by her nose, as she was sniffing dreamily. She set the table and I wasn't even surprised anymore when she set it for four. Of course I would be allowed to share this feast with them. They just were that kind of weirdly nice people.

Alexej was the last to appear; now also out of his armoured police officer gear and instead wearing dark green cargo pants and a t-shirt tight enough I was able to count his abs. His effect on me was simply annoying. One should have thought coming two times under the shower should have cooled me of significantly but just looking at him made me get half hard again and sent hot shivers down my spine.

I was quite grateful that none of them paid me much attention during dinner. They were talking about how Shalice day at school had been, what chores had to still be taken care of, what tasks would have to be taken care of the next day. 

They were a real, functioning family. There was some teasing and not all planning went smoothly but they were happy together. And I just couldn't find it in my heart to envy them since they had so generously included me for at least a while.

I only listened with half an ear anyway since I was quite absorbed in the food. It was hard to believe I had helped with something so yummy. It hadn't even been all that hard. With some practice and some teaching from Mistress Sirenkov I was pretty sure I could learn to do some cooking on my own.

By the time dinner concluded, I was almost nodding off again, my belly pleasantly filled, feeling safe for maybe the first time in my life. I could have fallen asleep there and then, but together with Shalice, I was drafted to dry the dishes while Alexej did the washing and Mistress Sirenkov settled in front of the trideo with a glass of wine. It did strike me as a little strange to watch a muscled hunk like Alexej help with housework ,but if anything it made him even more charming.

When everything was cleaned, dried and put away again, I was almost asleep on my feet. So much so that even Alexej noticed.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." He told me and then shooed me up the stairs.

I was so sleepy even his big, warm hand on my shoulder guiding me didn't evoke any undesired reactions. I wasn't entirely sure how we got from the stairs to my small room but being tucked into bed by Alexej was really nice. I decided I really needed to thank him again for all his generosity and being so damn sexy but before I could frame another thought I was already asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up usually was a matter of seconds for me. Asleep one moment and wide awake the next, to be ready to be grabbed by rough hands for a quick fuck or just to keep my ears wide open to be prepared for whatever would happen to me next. I never slept deeply and part of me always stayed alert.

When I heard muffled voices in the corridor outside my room I was instantly awake, lying perfectly still no to attract attention. It took me a moment to make sense of my surroundings, sunlight slanting in through the small window, the soothing sound of the sea outside, the soft fabric of my blanket - my very own trauma blanket - against me skin.

But then the events of the previous day bubbled up in my memory and I relaxed, snuggling back into pillow. Feeling safe was a luxury vastly undervalued by free people, I mused.

I listened and made out the sound of a pair of feet moving away towards the stairs, soon followed by water starting to run in the bathroom. The sunlight outside still had a slightly rosy tint so it had to be pretty early. Probably nobody would have minded if I stayed in bed a little longer but now that I was awake I was starting to get twitchy, after a whole night of uninterrupted, restful sleep.

Maybe I could help whoever had gone downstairs with breakfast. 

I got up, taking my time to stretch properly. Not sleeping chained to something I had moved freely in my bed and was a whole lot less stiff than I normally was in the morning.

The corridor was empty, but I heard the shower running in the bathroom. Downstairs everything seemed quiet. I peeked over the balustrade from the gallery. The kitchen seemed deserted. So maybe I couldn't help with breakfast, but I could make coffee for Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov already.

When I got down to the kitchen I noticed that the door from the kitchen to the back porch stood ajar. I looked outside curiously. The back porch was larger than the one in front and had room for another dining table. Right next to it was a large brick barbecue grill. There were a few more palm trees and flowers and a beautiful view of the beach. There was no one outside either.

It didn't take me long to find coffee powder and get the coffee machine to work. At least one thing I had plenty of experience with, along with 'fetching beer'. I had observed Mistress Sirenkov drink coffee the previous day and it had smelled strong enough to wake the dead so I had an idea what she would like. 

I had just taken the coffee pot out of the machine when Mistress Sirenkov came down the stairs, already dressed with her combat pants and a shirt but with her damp hair wrapped up in a towel. She smiled at me and the pot happily.

"Darling, I knew that coffee making skill of yours would come in handy somewhere." She said.

"Black, Mistress?" I asked her.

"Yes, please." She nodded. "There are mugs in the cupboard next to the sink. Feel free to pour one for yourself as well."

She passed by me and went outside onto the back porch, leaning against the wooden railing and gazing out to the sea. I carried the two mugs out to her, one black and strong and one for myself with a little sugar added. I didn't even bother asking if I could have some anymore. She accepted the coffee mug and inhaled deeply. She looked relaxed and content and I relaxed in turn, feeling safe with the knowledge that I hadn't done anything wrong and she wouldn't punish me just on a whim.

Together we took a few sips of our hot brews and watched the sea tirelessly roll up the beach again and again. Coffee was a rare treat for me. It wasn't often that I managed to get my hands on a mug of my own. Mostly I had been allowed to take a sip from a master's cup or been able to snag the cooling remains in an abandoned mug. I liked the strong, bitter taste when it was tempered with enough sugar and it always gave me a buzz of alertness.

"Ah, look that way, Mauve." She suddenly said, pointing down the beach to the left. "You'll see something really pretty."

My gaze followed her pointing finger. For a moment I just saw another stretch of beach, but then I could make out a figure, jogging in the surf, coming closer. Then I recognized Alexej, wearing nothing but knee long cargo short, clinging to his legs, wet from the surf, his torso glistening with drops of water.

The effect was instant. My blood rushed from my head to my cock so quickly I felt dizzy. I only noticed my mouth was hanging open when Mistress Sirenkov gently closed it.

My head snapped back to her in horror. There was no way she could have missed my reaction. Actually, she had goaded me into it and I had walked right into her trap. My reflex was to drop to my knees, but with the thought just half formed in my head, she laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, he has that effect on me too." She said with a strange little smile. "Why don't you go upstairs and start the shower for him." She added, as Alexej made his way up to the house from the beach. "And check if Shalice is awake yet, wouldn't want her to be late for school, would we?"

I nodded mutely and went back inside feeling numb and hot all over at the same time. She might be acting kindly now, but there was no way she would want me in her house now that she had seen how I was reacting to her husband. Probably she was sending me upstairs so she could talk to Alexej about it. So when I reached the gallery at the top of the stairs, I stopped just out of view form the kitchen. I just needed to hear what they were saying to prepare for whatever terrible thing would happen now.

Alexej came in first, followed by Mistress Sirenkov.

"Did you have a nice run?" she asked. Since he didn't answer I assumed he nodded. "Good. We need to talk about Mauve."

It felt like my heart plummeted out of my body and I leaned against the wall for support.

"What about him?" Alexej asked, not suspecting anything, yet.

Mistress Sirenkov's next words weren't quite what I had been expecting. "Have you actually read his file and the report Father Theran prepared about him?"

"No...? Is something wrong with Mauve?" Alexej asked, now clearly worried. "Is he sick?"

'No, just horny', my mind supplied the answer I thought Mistress Sirenkov might give.

Instead she sighed deeply. "No, love. He is not sick. But I think you have entirely missed the fact that he is a pet."

"Actually, I am quite aware that he is a slave and what has been done to him." Alexej replied a lot more forcefully than would have been warranted.

"That's not what I mean." Mistress Sirenkov interrupted him. "He is not just 'a slave'. He is a 'pet'. He has been bred to be a pet. Father Theran ran an analysis of his genetics and they have been modified and fine tuned over generations to produce a perfect pet. That doesn't just mean pretty, it also means that he needs to be fucked. He is designed to crave sex."

I blinked in confusion that was probably mirrored from Alexej, judging from his surprised "Oh".

I had not been aware of this, of course. But it explained a lot. Like why even the most disgusting of my past owners grew progressively more attractive the longer they neglected me. Why I almost always enjoyed being fucked, even when the one doing it was anything but desirable or skilled or considerate. And of course why Alexej, kind, sweet, drop-dead-gorgeous Alexej, was driving me completely insane. 

Just thinking about him I felt myself get hard yet again, even despite the looming wrath of Mistress Sirenkov. To feel his big, strong hands on my hips while he... I bit down on my lip hard, using the pain to pull myself back to reality.

I had missed whatever else Alexej had said as Mistress Sirenkov was already replying to it.

"No, love. It's not like an addiction. It's just the way he is." She explained patiently.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Alexej asked, clearly exasperated.

"Well... the question is more what you are going to do about it." Mistress Sirenkov answered. 

And this was the point where she would demand I be kicked out of her house. I was sure of it.

"Are you going to take care of him... no... let me re-phrase that so you understand... are you going to fuck him? Or do I need to find someone else to do it?"

Wait...? WHAT?! Had she really just said that?

"What?" Alexej exclaimed, at least as gobsmacked as I felt.

"He needs to be fucked. Soon." Mistress Sirenkov spelled it out again. "Not doing it is no different than starving him. Can you do it?"

"But... but..." Alexej sputtered. "What on earth makes you think I'd do that to him? The kid trusts me..."

"Love, we both know you are a complete klutz when it comes to noticing social clues. Remember you didn't notice I was interested in you until I flat out told you?" Mistress Sirenkov talked to him like to a stubborn child. "Well, trust me when I'm telling you: that 'kid' gets a hard-on every time he's in the same room with you and he would be humping your leg if he wasn't scared I'd skin him for it."

She really was a fucking surveillance drone noticing everything. Insanely she was also still sounding like she really wanted Alexej to... well... fuck me.

Alexej was slowly coming to that conclusion as well, judging from his prolonged silence. But when he finally answered he had obviously spent that time thinking. "I admit, I didn't think of him that way at all." He confirmed my worst fear. "But he is kind of cute. And I'll be damned if I allow some sort of stranger to fuck him!"

My knees suddenly turned to warm butter and I was glad I was already leaning against the wall for support. He thought I was cute! And this time he definitely didn't mean it in the cute puppy way. I must have died and gone to heaven. Or maybe I was still asleep and just dreaming this.

"That's my boy!" I heard Mistress Sirenkov say downstairs and then a smacking kiss. "Go get him, tiger! He should be upstairs in the bathroom."

Oh hell, the shower! I hadn't turned on the shower! Hurriedly I gathered up the puddle I had turned into and ran for the bathroom. Despite my shaking and suddenly quite sweaty hands, I managed to fumble on the shower and lay out a huge bathing towel before Alexej walked in.

He put on a smile, but this one did look a little fake since he was trying to look confident when really he seemed to be a quite a bit out of his depth. "Good morning, Mauve."

My own smile was probably just as fake since I was pretending not to have a clue about the conversation I had just overheard. Now I was grateful for him not picking up on it at all. I certainly wouldn't have fooled Mistress Sirenkov for a second. Who was I kidding: she probably had even noticed me eavesdropping. 

"Good morning, Alexej." I returned his greeting, mindful of his request to call him by his first name from the previous day.

This seemed to please him as his smile became more real. Which in turn made me very aware that he still wasn't wearing anything but those wet cargo should, clinging to his muscular legs like a second skin. Up close it was quite obvious he wasn't wearing anything under them either, so I ended up staring at his crotch where I could just imagine the outline of his cock. Luckily I was as hard as I could get already so there was no spell of dizziness caused by my blood suddenly deserting my head again.

I half expected him to react like an insecure schoolboy to me, now that he knew I wanted him. But I had vastly underestimated his ability to take the direct approach. He only took a moment longer to let his eyes roam over my body.

"How about you join me in the shower?" he then suggested.

I would really have liked to answer something sassy, sexy, but all I managed was a choked moan and taking a wobbly step towards him like a puppet drawn on a string.

His smile turned into a full force dirty grin, as he gained confidence, and I realized that he probably wasn't all that inexperienced after all. Then all coherent thought fled as his big, strong hands grabbed me, steadying me and at the same time pulling me flush against him. It felt even better than I had envisioned, being pressed against so much muscled man. I just melted against him, making ridiculous, needy sounds.

Then he kissed me, firm lips against my own, his stubble pleasantly scratchy. I opened to him like the cheap slut I am, welcoming his tongue into my mouth moaning happily and at the same time rubbing against him. His taste, his overpowering scent of manly sweat, the way he held me, it all made me dizzy with want.

I'm not sure how he got us out of our clothes, but the next thing I knew was we were under the shower, hot water pounding down on us, with me running my hands over his skin, feeling a disturbing amount of scars and manly hair and even more gorgeous hard muscles, twitching under my caresses. It was like one of those weird dreams where things happen entirely out of sequence. One moment you are here, the next there, with no time having passed in between.

Not that it mattered at all with me safe in his grip. I wanted him, needed him, absolutely had to have him, was mewling and whimpering and growling.

And the moment his hands wandered lower and touched my cock I came.

It was the single most embarrassing thing ever to happen to me in my life. I wanted to die of mortification and disappointment and at the same time had to cling to Alexej not to crumple to the shower floor.

But wonderful, awesome, completely unrealistically gorgeous Alexej laughed, slightly startled and with much good natured humour. "Wow! You REALLY needed that." He stated, sounding deeply amused without poking fun at me.

I didn't manage to get out a word but I glanced up at him. He used that opportunity to gently tip my head up with a finger under my chin, while his other arm staying around my hips, holding me up.

"You really are a pretty boy." He told me and I could tell that he wasn't just saying that to be kind. He really did like what he saw.

It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and with detached horror I realized that I was completely falling for this man. How was I ever going to be a functional pet after they sent me off again? The answer was pretty clear: it would be hell. So there was really only one option now. They had to keep me. Somehow I had to make myself so entirely indispensible they would decide to keep me even after they finished that investigation.

I tried to come up with a strategy to achieve this and quickly realized it was virtually impossible to form any coherent thoughts snuggled up in Alexej's strong embrace. So I instead went with gut instinct. Wiggling free of his arms, I picked up the shower gel, poured some in my hands and then started to apply it to the broad and inviting expanse of Alexej's chest.

"You really don't have to..." he of course tried to interrupt but I smiled up at him and didn't have to fake my happiness at being allowed to touch him at all.

"Can I, please?" I asked and was rewarded with the amazing sight of this huge man blushing. Being so adorable should have been outlawed.

He nodded and I continued washing him. It would of course have been a lot more efficient with a sponge, but that would have limited skin contact, so I used my hands to rub him all over. Damn, but he did have an impressive assortment of scars. I had seen my share of thugs who had been through some bad shit, but he definitely won on all accounts. When my fingers traced one running down the left side of his back and then around his flank he noticed my interest.

"Sword cut." He explained. "I was with the Imperial Fleet Marine Corps before I took command of the Task Force here on Malicorn."

That brought up all sorts of naughty imagines in my mind. Imperial Fleet porn movies were a favourite among a lot of hardened thugs and I had watched my share of them while getting fucked in various positions to match what was happening on screen. Of course, shower scenes were in abundant supply in those movies.

Smiling at him I worked up lather between the palms of my hands and then looked him in the eyes as I purposefully took a hold of his cock. He groaned softly and his eyes drifted half shut. He hadn't really been hard, but that changed quickly. And damn he was just as well equipped as any little slut could hope for, long, thick and smooth.

That he planted his feet wider apart to gain a stable footing as well as giving me better access proved that this was not the first time he did this. Which made me wonder how much of those movies were actually true. 

At some point I had lost eye contact as my gaze was drawn to the length of the cock I was working so reverentially. I couldn't help licking my lips. I really, really wanted to taste him. No, not just taste him. Swallow him whole and suck him dry.

I washed of the lather and than sank to my knees in front of him. This time he did not refuse verbally and I really couldn't tear my eyes away from his beckoning cock to check his face. 

First just a tiny kiss to the tip, then a first lick, like tasting a new lollipop. Soapy, of course. Not my favourite, but much better than stale, unwashed. It would change quickly enough. I sucked his tip into my mouth. That unique, fleshy texture always gave me a rush and in the light of the things Mistress Sirenkov had said I wondered if that was part of my breeding as well. Not that it mattered. He filled my mouth just right and greedily I swallowed more of him. 

In return he groaned softly and one of his hands came up, cupping my head. Not grabbing my hair and forcing me forward like I was used to, just stroking my neck encouragingly. Not that I needed any encouragement. His cock was like a drug and my throat opened easily to accommodate him.

"Oh fuck." He whispered softly and disbelievingly when I had taken all of him.

He thought that was good? Ha! That was just the start of it!

I used one hand to caress his balls and started really sucking him off using every trick in my book - Licking him, constricting my throat when he was all the way in, sucking just on the head.

He wasn't the noisy kind. Apart from a few growls and moans and some whispered curses he didn't say anything but I definitely had his full attention and there could be no doubt that he was enjoying himself.

Knowing that he didn't have all morning I didn't prolong it as much as I would have liked to. If it had been up to me I would have tormented him well into the afternoon, chewing on my new favourite toy. But he had to get to work and I definitely didn't want to keep him long enough for Mistress Sirenkov to come looking for us.

So I allowed him to come and greedily swallowed his seed. That was a part I always enjoyed. Cum just tasted great to me. Probably another thing fostered by careful breeding. Not that I minded. I licked him clean and then licked him some more just for the sheer pleasure of it and wasn't really able to stop until he pulled me back to my feet with gentle insistence. Then he kissed me once more, deeply but not for long.

"That was really amazing." He told me, sounded honestly admiring of my skill.

I blushed like a schoolgirl at the compliment and didn't know what to say. 'Great fuck' and a smack to the head was something I knew how to deal with. This? Not so much.

Luckily he didn't notice.

"Come on, let's dry up and get breakfast, shall we?" he said and turned off the shower.

Time to face Mistress Sirenkov, then. Not something I was looking forward to, but it had to happen eventually. Mentally squaring my shoulders, I accepted the towel Alexej handed to me. At least I was feeling much calmer now even though Alexej hadn't even actually fucked me.


	6. Chapter 6

Breakfast on the porch of the Sirenkov family home was one of the most strangely normal affairs I had ever attended.

Alexej was cheerful and kept given me those appraising glances I had been longing for the whole previous day and which now made me feel giddy with suppressed excitement and scared to death because I was sure Mistress Sirenkov didn't miss any of them.

She on the other hand was quietly pleased, if I read her mood at all correctly. She didn't ask what had happened upstairs, just kissed her husband approvingly.

Shalice of course had no clue of why there was such tension hanging in the air but being her mother's daughter she picked up on it and threw curious glances at all three of us.

I kept my head down as much as possible and busied myself with running inside to fetch from the kitchen whatever one of them might need. Until Alexej ordered me firmly to eat my breakfast or I would never be done with the rest of them and they'd have to wait for me to finish when they needed to get to work and school respectively.

The mere thought of them waiting for me was inconceivable enough to make me gobble down my Grinny Pig cereals. That and the fact that I loved the stuff. Bacon flavoured loops of some crunchy substance which got chewy when dosed with liquid. I was having mine with milk while Shalice devoured hers with orange juice. They could be found in practically any household on Malicorn but were also a very successful export to other planets of the empire, just like many other Grinny Pig products. 

Grinny Pig itself was the official mascot of the planet, together with his friend, Egon, the Eggplant. There was all sorts of merchandise of them but they were also used as the narrators for tourist guides and the heroes of a successful cartoon series.

After breakfast Mistress Sirenkov bundled me and Shalice into the pick-up while Alexej rode his motorbike to work. I had been right in my assessment. The old-fashioned fuel driven bike was his and I wondered again if maybe at some point I would be permitted to ride with him. There seemed to be a good chance of this, though, since Alexej had been charged with taking me shopping later today to get me some clothes which actually fit me.

But now, I was stuck with Mistress Sirenkov and I was scared and at the same time curious of what she would have to say once we were alone. At least she didn't make me suffer and wait. The moment she had pulled back into the road after we had dropped off Shalice at the school she addressed me.

"Mauve, I think we need to talk."

I instinctively ducked my head, expecting to be smacked.

She sighed in response. "I know that you know I told Alexej to take care of you." She said.

So she had noticed me eavesdropping, just like I had feared. I wondered if I would get extra trouble for that. But what could be extra trouble compared to being kicked out for lusting after her husband?

"Kid, I'm not going to punish you. It's not your fault you need fucking and I can so relate to wanting Alexej to do it. He is one hot stud."

I felt my ears burn as I blushed violently. Alexej's wife talking like that about him to me was just so incredibly inappropriate. I had no clue what to say and was grateful that apparently I wasn't required to say anything.

"I don't mind. I really don't. In fact, I like the thought."

Now I looked at her in shock and she grinned at me dirtily.

"I gave you some leeway to get acquainted under the shower," she continued, "but if we don't get home too late tonight I'll have both of you in the bedroom and I expect an entertaining performance."

It took me quite a while to wrap my mind around that concept. I had met a share of kinky mistresses but they had not also been strict mothers, caring wives, police officers and freaking surveillance drones. My over-active imagination also supplied images of her ordering me and Alexej around on how to fuck, which made whole body itch with desire. It didn't help at all.

But finally I found a fitting answer. "Yes, mistress."

"Oh, Mauve. You're just too sweet." She laughed out loud. "You are not the first cute young man Alexej is giving a proper fucking. Don't worry, he knows what he's doing and so do I." She said and her warm, caring tone made me wonder how she could be so nice on top of everything else.

Which was probably what gave me the courage to ask the question which had been driving me insane since previous day. "Mistress, when you told me I shouldn't take advantage of Master Sirenkov, what exactly did you mean...?"

She considered my question carefully instead of berating me about not asking when I hadn't understood earlier.

"I guess that was a little cryptic." She then conceded. "I suppose you don't even know Alexej well enough to be able to understand his weakness and exploit it."

Naturally I had no idea what she was talking about. Alexej had a weakness? All I could see was a genuine hero type who probably saved the day on at least a weekly basis.

"Okay, I think you are smart enough to understand this and you might even be helpful." She continued. "Alexej has a problem with slavery in general. He believes it is wrong for a human being to be owned by another."

I gaped at her, open-mouthed. That was certainly not something I would ever have imagined. Slavery was an integral part of the Empire's economy and questioning it was ridiculous bordering on treasonous. On the other hand, much of his behaviour and outbursts suddenly made a lot more sense.

Mistress Sirenkov looked over at me. "Yes, exactly." She agreed with my silent dismay. "He keeps his mouth shut about it because it is not something an imperial soldier or police officer can be heard saying. But you have seen yourself that he is quite a passionate man. When he sees an injustice done to a slave he tends to react without thinking first. And that could get him into a world of trouble."

I nodded. That was certainly something I didn't want to happen. 

"Now a slave could easily trick him into doing something stupid..." Mistress Sirenkov started but this time I found myself interrupting her.

"I would never do that!" I was a little shocked at my own outburst but then again it was true. Not only because he had been kind to me and was drop-dead-gorgeous. Much more important was the fact that he wouldn't be able to keep me as his slave if he ended up on an auction block next to me for publicly speaking out against slavery or something equally silly.

Mistress Sirenkov smiled. "I was beginning to think that you would see it that way too." She said, sounding quite pleased.

"I will try my best to make sure he doesn't get into trouble." I promised solemnly.

She laughed merrily. "That is quite a task you have set for yourself there." She told me. "But I commend your dedication and I'm sure together we will manage to limit his suicidal tendency to take insane risks to a bearable level."

By then we had reached the headquarters again and Mistress Sirenkov parked the pick-up. 

"Just don't ever let Alexej know you are watching over him." She advised me as we climbed out of the car. "He is way too manly to accept that."

She smiled at me and I couldn't help but grin back at her, feeling like an accomplice in her scheming to keep her husband safe. She had trusted me and I intended to prove myself worthy of that trust. I was beginning to think that she would be the one to decide whether I might be allowed to stay so I should probably invest more time in her approval than in Alexej's. Even though gaining Alexej's might be a lot more pleasurable, considering this morning's escapade under the shower.

"So is there anything I can help with here at the headquarters?" I asked, trying to make myself useful.

"I'm sure there're a lot of things you can help with." She said, looking pleasantly surprised at my initiative. "But let's start out with the most important one: I'll show you where the coffee machine is."

We went inside and this time we headed left right after entering, going to the part of the mansion which has originally been the servant's wing. 

The large kitchen had been converted to a kind of laboratory and Mistress Sirenkov explained that he was used to analyse evidence found at crime scenes. She briefly introduced me to a short, plump Youh'Kai woman called J'Tar, who was in charge of the laboratory. She was currently mostly hidden behind a set of huge, tinted goggles and impatiently waved us away.

Next to the former kitchen, a small storage room had been converted to be the new kitchen, holding a state-of-the-art coffee machine, a fridge and a microwave oven. All equipment I was familiar with. Apparently, when it came to eating habits criminals and cops had a lot in common. Mistress Sirenkov showed me where coffee and mugs were stored so I would be able to supply the vital brew to everyone.

Then we continued on our tour of the headquarters, heading downstairs from the laboratory to what had been the wine cellar. This was now Father Theran's domain. It was quite chilly. There were several long metal tables, ranks of gleaming sharp instruments and one wall was a bank of what looked like vault doors to me.

Only when I noticed the corpse of my former master lying on one of the tables and a corpse of one of his thugs on another, did I realize that Father Theran apparently didn't just deal with living patients. The corpse had been cut open and currently Father Theran was leaning over it, wearing red rubber gloves and carefully examining the inside of it.

"Anything interesting?" Mistress Sirenkov asked.

The Verata priest didn't look up when he answered. "He led a life of sin and I am quite certain his soul is rotting in hell."

A pleasing thought to be sure. The bastard deserved the worst. The more I got to see of this Verata, the more I liked him.

"So nothing interesting." Mistress Sirenkov concluded. 

She didn't show any worry that I might be disturbed by watching my dead master get dissected. Which was entirely correct, of course.

"I'm afraid not. Alexej has the full report on cause of death for all of them and I gave the slugs to J'Tar." Father Theran added. "Standard issue. I doubt we'll get any hint on who went on a rampage here."

"Maybe some of the samples we took at the crime scene or reports from the neighbours will turn up something." Mistress Sirenkov mused.

Father Theran finally abandoned the corpse and stretched his back. "Damn, I'm getting to old for this." He grumbled. Then he noticed me. "Ah, and how is the little one doing?" he addressed me. "I see the bruises are already fading?"

I nodded. "Yes, Father." I always healed quickly and this time I was doubly glad about it. I really didn't like having marks of my dead master on me for Alexej to see, even though he hadn't commented on them earlier.

"Good, good." Then he turned back to Mistress Sirenkov. "And what's the boy doing here?"

"Alexej considers him important evidence." She explained calmly. "So he wants Mauve in eyesight."

Father Theran arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?" 

He looked from Mistress Sirenkov to me and then back. I didn't know whether he knew of Alexej's opinion on slavery, so I carefully studied my feet.

"And while he's here anyway he can fetch stuff and hand out coffee and snacks." Mistress Sirenkov continued unperturbed.

That diverted Father Theran's attention quite effectively. "Coffee!" he exclaimed. "Well, boy, be sure to keep me supplied, will you?"

"Of course, Father." I quickly agreed.

"I'll just show him the rest of the HQ and then you'll get your coffee." Mistress Sirenkov said with a smile.

We continued through a heavy door leading deeper into the cellar of the mansion. The storage rooms down there had been converted to holding and interrogation cells, Mistress Sirenkov explained when I asked her about the heavy locks on the doors. At the end of the corridor we came to another set of stairs leading up again, terminating close to the command centre. 

"Upstairs there are training rooms and lots of storage space." Mistress Sirenkov said as we entered the command centre, where Jamie, the surfer guy I had briefly met the pervious day, was talking to Alexej.

A pang of intense jealousy flashed through me at how well they seemed to get along, but it quickly subsided when Alexej smiled at me. Maybe Jamie was a lot prettier than I was, but Alexej didn't give him that special look he now had for me.

"Why don't you make a round and take coffee to everyone." Mistress Sirenkov suggested.

Glad to have something useful to do and curious to observe more of how their investigation did actually work, I obeyed.


	7. Chapter 7

"How about this one?" Alexej asked full of cheerful enthusiasm and held up yet another pair of baggy cargo pants for me.

So far our shopping trip hadn't turned out like I had hoped it would. 

First we had again taken the pick-up when I had been hoping to ride his bike with him. Granted, the pick-up made a lot more sense is we were going to buy proper clothing for me, since it provided a lot more cargo space. Still, I had been imagining sitting behind him and using the opportunity to put my hands in all sorts of inappropriate places, so it was a disappointment.

We went to a shopping mall where the locals did their shopping, instead of one of the fancy, shiny tourist places where all prices were at least tripled. That made perfect sense as well, but what I wouldn't have given to stroll around one of the tourist commerce palaces, showing off my gorgeous owner. One day with the Sirenkov family and already I was getting used to their generosity so much I was fantasising about even more.

And now I had to deal with Alexej's taste in clothing. He was picking the same style for me that he was wearing himself. Functional, I had to give him that, but certainly not sexy or even attractive. 

I had no clue why he was choosing this stuff for me. Either he just didn't really think about it at all and was just buying what he would have bought for himself or he actively wanted me not to look like the pet I was. Or, even though I found that highly unlikely, he actually liked seeing me in baggy pants and shirts that concealed my body as effectively as draping me in a tent.

The sad fact was that we would walk out of the shop with full bags and nothing I would like. Unless I got over myself and actually told Alexej that I would much rather have looked at the skinny denims and short t-shirts than at the sports section we were currently browsing.

There were two problems with that. The first was that I was afraid of appearing extremely ungrateful. After all, he was taking time off work to go buy me clothing when I really was just a piece of evidence he was temporarily holding on to. Until I convinced him or Mistress Sirenkov to keep me. The second was that he seemed to so happy with the things he picked out for me and I didn't want to disappoint him.

Of course he wasn't picking up on any of this. Mistress Sirenkov was quite right: he didn't notice other people's emotions unless you spelled them out clearly for him. I would probably have been better off going shopping with the Mistress or even Shalice. Come to think of it, Shalice would have been an awesome shopping partner.

But she wasn't here and her father was, still holding out the pants to me, oblivious to my silent suffering.

I accepted the pants and took them into the changing cubicle. I really didn't have the heart to tell him. If they did keep me there would hopefully be other opportunities where I might be able to pick up something sexy to wear. 

I put on the cargo pants and eyed myself critically in the mirror. They fit perfectly fine. They also made me look fat. Of course that were my former masters talking in my head who had liked me as bony thin as possible. But they were hard to silence. With quiet dread I realized that it was inevitable that I would gain weight given the amount of great food the Sirenkovs were feeding me. Running around the HQ all day on errands would help some, but I would probably have to start working out in earnest if I wanted to keep my shape. And I definitely wanted to keep my shape.

"Does it fit?" Alexej asked from outside.

"Yes, thank you." I replied.

Not chained down to a bed all day with only scraps to eat I might actually be able to put some lean muscle on my skin-and-bones look, I mused. Not quite as much as I had seen on Jamie, but some wouldn't hurt. Alexej would probably like that since I wouldn't look starved and neglected anymore. If I managed to work up the courage to ask, Mistress Sirenkov would probably be able to give me some pointers on what he liked.

I tugged on the annoying pants one last time and then gave up on it. The only way to look sexy in these was if you were sporting Alexej's amazing muscles of steel, and no matter how hard I worked out, I'd never get those.

Putting on a brave smile, I went out again and presented myself to Alexej. He nodded approvingly. At least he had picked nice materials. Not cheap synthetic stuff that made you feel like you were slowly being electrocuted or rubbed raw. 

"So that's three pants, five shirts, underwear and a pair of sandals." Alexej consulted the list Mistress Sirenkov had supplied him with.

That was a stunning amount of clothing to pick from, considering so far my wardrobe had consisted of tiny shorts, cuffs and a plastic collar. I was grateful. Not as grateful as I could have been, but grateful none the less.

"We have everything she wrote down now." He looked at me again, obviously feeling accomplished. "Let's go pay and then I'll buy us Grinny Pig popsicles!"

Great. More gorgeous food. One could almost have thought he was actively working on fattening me up. But my brave smile remained firmly in place. I couldn't have refused him anything if my life depended on it, much less a popsicle, which I had only ever had a few licks of and still craved.

I kept one pair of pants and a long sleeves t-shirt on and we went to the register. The clothes were not exactly expensive, but still I was encouraged by the fact that Alexej was spending money on me. After all, why would he do that when he didn't consider keeping me around at least a while?

We left the store with me following Alexej, but outside he stopped to look for a popsicle seller and I stepped next to him. The hallway of the mall was filled with all sorts of people since it was midday and many were using their lunch breaks to get some shopping done. I curiously scanned the crowd, happy to be allowed outside.

And then I heard a loud bang, intense pain stabbed my left arm and I was flung backward.

I landed on my ass and looked down at my arm in confusion where suddenly a red stain appeared on the sleeve of my new shirt.

Even more confused I looked up and saw Alexej dashing through the crowd. He was moving with a speed and precision I had never seen outside of an action trideo. People tried to make way for him but mostly they were pushed out of the way. It took him only a few seconds to reach his target, a man just jumping down from a bench.

With a flying tackle he knocked the guy down. Everyone was drawing away from them so I had a clear view on their brief struggle and then the man was face down on the floor with Alexej kneeling on his back, ramming the guy's head into the ground twice, knocking him unconscious.

I watched with awe as he quickly pulled cable binders from some pocket on his utility belt and tied the guy up. He really was a genuine hero.

On the other hand I wasn't and I was reminded of that little fact sharply as a new stab of pain in my arm told me that something was definitely not so good. I looked down and noticed with somewhat detached displeasure that the stain on my shirt sleeve was spreading. My brand new shirt sleeve. 

The pain was strange. Clear and sharply defined, not the dull inner ache of cramping guts from too much fucking, or the all-over miserable feeling of bruises. It commandeered an undue amount of my attention and I found myself unable to look away from the dark red blotch that seemed so vastly annoying and fascinating at the same time.

"Mauve? Mauve, look at me!" Alexej's voice suddenly was right next to me and with an inhuman strength of will, I managed to turn my head towards him.

He was calm as a rock, smiling at me encouragingly. I made an effort to smile back at him, which seemed to work reasonably well.

"You have been shot, Mauve." He explained. "I will have a look at your arm now. I will be as gentle as I can but it may hurt. Please try to stay still."

He didn't wait for me to reply, which was just as well as I had trouble figuring out what to say. He was so professional and calm about it, not so much like an action movie hero but more like one of those stoic soldier types sometimes featuring as hero sidekicks.

With practiced ease, he tore off the fabric of my shirt sleeve and I watched with confused fascination as he examined the bloody mess. To me, it looked and felt like my arm was wrecked and beyond saving. There was so much blood. He used part of the torn off sleeve to tightly tie my arm above the wound. It hurt like a motherfucker, but I was well trained in holding still no matter what people did to me. Then he wrapped the rest of the sleeve around the wound as a make-shift bandage.

"The bullet went clean through." He told me. "I don't think it more than grazed the bone." He grinned at me. "Just a flesh wound. You'll be fine again in no time."

I didn't feel 'fine in no time' at all. But I bravely nodded. He was the expert on such matters after all, judging from the various scars I had found on his body under the shower.

By now the security forces of the mall where at last pushing their way through the gawking crowd. 

"I'll be back in a moment." Alexej reassured me.

Then he met the guards and quickly identified himself. The group was swimming in and out of focus before my eyes, which was quite annoying since he was so commanding and male and freaking awesome and I really wanted to watch. Still I must have missed significant bits as he suddenly was by my side again.

"Come on, let's get you back to HQ where Father Theran can patch you up properly." He said.

I nodded again and tried to convince myself that I needed to get back on my feet. While I was still working on that, Alexej solved my problem by simply picking my up and carrying me off like a rescued princess. Behind us I noticed two of the security guards dragging the still unconscious attacker along and a third guard carrying our shopping bags. My hero really was thinking of everything.

My arm was growing numb from being tied off, so I used the opportunity to snuggle against Alexej's broad chest. There were definitely advantages in getting shot.

Much too soon, we arrived outside in the parking lot and I was carefully deposited on the passenger seat, while our prisoner was tossed in the load area with much less ceremony. So it had been a good idea to take the pick-up after all, I mused. How would we have transported the shooter on a motorbike? And I wouldn't have been able to hang on to Alexej with my wounded arm, either.

I gazed down at the wrapped up wound and noticed fresh blood seeping through the bandage. Not in alarming amounts, but still, something really should be done about it. Perverse curiosity urged me to peek under the bandage, but I managed to control myself.

Alexej had exchanged some more words with the security guards, but now he was climbing into the driver seat.

"Hang on, kid, I'll have you back at HQ in no time." He reassured me and then pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive back was a nightmare. Alexej hadn't been kidding when he said he'd get us back fast. He was driving like a madman or at least it seemed that way to me. The houses flashed by and every corner he took and every bump in the road sent flashes of pain through my arm, radiating into my shoulder and after a while simply everything hurt like fuck. That I was getting incredible sick from the motion didn't help either and I was deeply grateful that I hadn't had that popsicle after all, or I surely would have thrown up.

I found myself hoping that the guy who had shot me would fall off the back of the pick-up and would get run over by a truck to punish him for what he had done to me.

When we finally pulled into the HQ driveway, I was so grateful and exhausted I wanted to cry.

Apparently, Alexej had at some point found the time to call ahead since Mistress Sirenkov and Father Theran were waiting on the front steps of the mansion, Mistress Sirenkov with her arms crossed and a deep scowl on her face. So I had done something wrong. I had no clue what, but it really was the last straw and hot tears started to run down my face.

This finally distressed Alexej and he quickly came around the car and picked me up again. "Hey, kid, it's alright now. We're here. You're safe." He tried to reassure me, but I just hid my face against his chest and sobbed on, unable to get a hold of myself.

"Great!" Mistress Sirenkov's voice cut through my hysteria. "You really can't go anywhere without people getting shot, can you?!" she accused Alexej and I belatedly realized that her expression had been directed at him, not at me.

"It wasn't my fault!" Alexej defended himself while already carrying me inside. "That guy was after Mauve."

He was entirely right, of course, and I really should have come to his defense, but I was unable to stop crying. I couldn't recall the last time I had cried about anything, but apparently there was some need to. It was a strange feeling because I wasn't really sad or scared, just kind of incredibly confused and wound up so tightly I wasn't even entirely sure whether I was crying or laughing

"'Drea, get the shooter to a cell and Alexej, you get that boy to my office downstairs!" Father Theran interrupted their arguing. "You can do your regular bitching once I can take care of the kid."

Nobody in their right mind opposes a direct order from a Verata priest. Mistress Sirenkov and Alexej were no exception to that rule. I soon found myself in a tiny office room next to the larger morgue chamber, deposited on a padded examination table. Father Theran firmly pushed Alexej outside and closed the door in his face.

Tear where still running down my face but my sobs had subsided to exhausted hick-ups. 

Father Theran smiled at me reassuringly. "Now let's have a look at that, shall we?"


	8. Chapter 8

Usually returning to conscience after blacking out was a scary and thoroughly unpleasant experience for me. It meant that someone had broken me really badly and coming back would then be filled with intense pain and someone yelling at me.

This time however, I felt like I was floating on a pleasantly warm and fuzzy haze. Everything felt slightly muffled, but in a good way, and I knew I was smiling rather stupidly.

"Hey, kid, how are you feeling?" a vaguely familiar voice asked.

I managed to crack my eyes open a bit and was rewarded with the sight of Alexej's face, hovering above me.

Splendid, I tried to say but it came out as "Fnlenid..." since my tongue moved in my mouth like a huge, lazy slug. I giggled at that image.

"How much painkillers did you give him?" Mistress Sirenkov's voice asked a little further away.

"Well, I wanted to make sure he wouldn't feel any pain when he woke up." Another voice answered. It took me a moment to recognize it as Father Theran.

"You sure succeeded with that." Alexej said, grinning down at me. "He's doped to the gills."

Gills. That would be so cool having gills. I could give the most awesome under water blowjobs with gills. And Alexej looked so good with that grin.

"Cm 'ere." I slurred at him and tried to coordinate my arms into hugging him but didn't get them to work properly. One of them just wouldn't move at all.

Confused I stared down at it, trying to figure out what the problem was. It was tied up in some kind of sling, holding it immobile. How very unfair!

"Just give him something to bring him down a bit." Mistress Sirenkov suggested.

Then suddenly it was Father Theran leaning down over me and I scowled at him. Alexej had been a must nicer view. He waved some kind of technical device about and a moment later I felt a tiny prick in my neck. It was like a bucket of cold water thrown in my face, sobering me up almost instantly.

Now I remembered that Father Theran had put me under so he could work on patching up my arm properly. Judging from the thick clean bandage and the sling my arm was in now he was done with that. There was a dull ache but mostly my arm just felt numb. Father Theran had even taken off my poor ruined shirt and put me in a fresh, short sleeved one. I was still in the small exanimation room next to the morgue.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Father Theran asked me, showing me his hand with two fingers extended.

"Two, Father." I replied and then rubbed my face with my still functioning hand to get rid of the tingling sensation left by whatever he had just given me. "Thank you, for patching me up." I then added, truly grateful for all the care these people were investing in me.

"There you go, now you can talk to him." Father Theran told Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov.

"So how's the arm?" Alexej asked me, taking Father Theran's place again and helping me to sit up.

"It feels numb." I answered truthfully.

"Really sorry that happened." Alexej said, looking upset. "I should have expected someone might come after you considering they made a point of killing everyone in that house."

"Darling, I didn't think of it either." Mistress Sirenkov interjected. Apparently they had worked out their argument.

"Well, at least we got the guy in custody and may get some answers out of him." Alexej continued. "Which brings us to you. Are you up to taking a look at him to check if you recognize him?"

The thought I might be able to help them with their investigation was thrilling and I immediately nodded eagerly. "Sure, I'm good." I also wanted to see if the fucker was getting the treatment he deserved.

I was still a little wobbly but Alexej offered his arm to cling to and that worked wonders. I noticed Mistress Sirenkov was smiling fondly at both of us. Apparently she really did like seeing us together. What an incredibly unlikely and lucky coincidence. Silently I cursed the guy who had shot me. How was I supposed to put on a proper show with Alexej tonight if I couldn't use one of my arms?

We crossed the morgue and headed to the corridor with the holding cells. Mistress Sirenkov unlocked one of them and opened the door. Then she switched on the light inside, effectively blinding the occupant. He flinched away as far as he could, which wasn't much since he was chained to the opposite wall with his arms spread wide. 

His nose was bloody and I was willing to bet that Alexej had broken it went he rammed the guy's face into the floor. Not that it had done much to his looks; he'd had an ugly mug even before that. There was a thin red scar running along his left jaw which tugged at my memory. I'd definitely seen him before.

"Well, look who's awake." Mistress Sirenkov drawled and walked over to him. "How's the nose? Hurting?"

The man glared daggers at her which of course didn't impress her at all. She grabbed him by the short, messy hair and pulled his head up so I could get a better look at his face. At that angle I suddenly remembered where I had seen him since I had always viewed him from kneeling on the floor.

"I know him." I happily informed them. "He's the bodyguard of some guy my master has met with two times in the last few weeks. He's also come to the house without his boss delivering messages or something like that."

"Shut up, you little sl..." The chained guy tried to interrupt me but was quickly silenced when Mistress Sirenkov used her handle on his hair to bang his head into the concrete wall behind him.

Not that I would have shut up anyway. I wasn't scared of him with him being chained and me being protected by Alexej and the Mistress.

"Do you know the name of his boss?" Alexej asked.

"No." I shook my head. "My master just called him Doctor. He wasn't the usual scum my master was working with. Expensive suit and really expensive shoes. He seemed really nervous. When my master offered me up for a blowjob he just huffed like I was the must disgusting thing ever."

Alexej smiled at me, pleased. "Okay, I'm sure we'll get the name out of our friend here."

"I ain't saying nothing!" the shooter sneered angrily. "I know my rights. I just tried to shoot a fucking slave. That's a fine and I'll be out of here!"

Mistress Sirenkov laughed. "Now, now, sweety. You don't really think that we will just let you walk away, do you?"

"What ya gonna do?" he grinned at her. "Beat me up? I ain't scared of a little pain."

The sweet smile Mistress Sirenkov gave him in return was outright creepy. "Yeah, I can see you're a really tough customer. But luckily we don't need to beat you up." She turned to us. "Isn't that right, Father?"

I almost yelped in surprise as Father Theran had soundlessly appeared behind me and Alexej. He stepped into the cell with a grim expression and cracked his knuckled, now again wearing those red rubber gloves. The shooter noticed him as well and his eyes suddenly bulged with horror as he recognized the Verata priest robes.

"Fuck's sake!" he yelled and turned back to Mistress Sirenkov in panic. "I'll talk! I'll tell ya anything! Everything!"

She let go of his hair and gently petted his cheek. "See, I knew you'd come around. So what's the good Doctor's name?"

"Kane. Dr. Harold Kane." He supplied readily.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Mistress Sirenkov smiled. Then she turned to Father Theran. "All yours now."

"WHAT?!" The prisoner screeched. "But I talked! I talked!"

Alexej gently pushed me out of the cell with Mistress Sirenkov following us and firmly closing the door behind us, muffling the man's yelling. I wouldn't have minded staying and watching but Alexej led me away, back up to the command centre.

There he addressed Jamie, who was reclining in his chair, plugged in his computers and munching something that looked like potato chips but smelled intensely of bacon. Today his shorts were of a less disreputable size but still showed off plenty of well formed, tanned leg and his faded t-shirt was tight enough to display every taunt muscle underneath. That certainly was a look to strife for, I decided.

"We have a name. Dr. Harold Kane. See what you can find on him, will you?"

"Sure, boss." Jamie replied, not moving.

Mistress Sirenkov had explained to me that he was controlling the computer via the cables that plugged into his brain. It was a really creepy notion but he seemed to be completely comfortable with it.

Moments later the large holo display lit up with an image I instantly recognized. The expensive suit and haircut, coupled with the disdainful look on his face were unmistakable.

"That's him." I confirmed.

"Dr. Harold Kane," Jamie told us, "member of the Agriculture Committee and of the Executive Board of Pig Breeders. Won the 5047 award for Best Cross Breed. Has written two books on pig breeding procedures. Also a member of the Malicorn Exclusivity Initiative, which advises the Duchess in security measures to ensure no genetic material of original Malicorn pigs is exported off planet to breed Malicorn pigs elsewhere."

I blinked at the image feeling just as confused as Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov looked.

"Right. That is a really high profile person to associate with scum like Mauve's master." Alexej stated. He turned to me. "Do you have any idea what he and your master were up to?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, I wasn't allowed in the room when they talked business."

"Maybe your friend downstairs will be able to shed some light on the matter." Mistress Sirenkov suggested.

"He certainly doesn't sound like the kind of guy who has access to a group of well armed and co-ordinated attackers like the ones who took out our vic." Alexej mused. "And it wasn't exactly a smart move to send his bodyguard to take out Mauve. Much too easy to follow that back to him."

"Your shooter downstairs is listed as a member of the security firm in charge of guarding his villa here in town." Jamie supplied, apparently still digging up information about the Doctor.

"Can you check his financial records?" Mistress Sirenkov asked.

"Sure, just give me a moment." Now Jamie finally set down his bag of chips, fully concentrating on the task at hand. "Ah, here we are." He said about a minute later. "Now look at that, it seems he has a bit of a gambling problem. He has debts over several thousand credits with various casinos in town and in the capital. I would guess that is only the tip of the iceberg if he has more debts with private persons."

"Has he recently paid up any of those debts?" Mistress Sirenkov inquired.

"Nope." Jamie replied immediately.

"Can you locate where he is at the moment?" Alexej rubbed his chin. "Maybe we should bring the Doctor in before he gets a chance to worry about why his bodyguard hasn't reported back yet."

"Do we have enough evidence to bring him in?" Mistress Sirenkov looked doubtful. "He is pretty high profile and the Duchess will skin us if he is just an innocent bystander and you pull one of your usual arrests on him."

"Hey, I CAN be perfectly polite." Alexej growled back.

"Yeah, wonder why you never are and all your prisoners show up here with broken bones." Mistress Sirenkov grumbled.

"Because they resist arrest!"

Considering how he had tackled the guy who had shot me I could well imagine how Alexej's other arrests might look like. Not that I minded. I was quite sure that he did what was necessary. After all a hero doesn't pull his punches to be polite. But I didn't say that out loud. I certainly wouldn't start arguing with the Mistress.

"Found him." Jamie announced. "He is currently at his office in downtown."

"Let's go get him then." Alexej decided.

"Fine." Mistress Sirenkov threw her hands up in defeat. "But please let me do the talking. And if he runs, DON'T shoot to kill!"

Both of them stomped out, leaving me behind with Jamie.

"How is the arm, Mauve?" he asked, startling me both with wondering about my arm and with the fact that he remembered my name. I had booked him under arrogant, pretty prick. Considering the people he was hanging out with maybe I shouldn't be too surprised if he turned out to be nice as well.

"It's okay." I replied cautiously. "Father Theran patched it up."

Jamie grinned. "Well, it is kind of an initiation rite, I guess." He said. "Right after I joined the team Alexej had me hack a network port outside a hotel where a suspect was staying. The security noticed us and before Alexej could explain anything they shot me in the hip. Bit lower and the bullet would have shattered my hipbone." 

He pulled down the side of his shorts and I could see the scar left behind. It looked quite impressive and I wondered if mine would look as cool. A scarred pet of course wasn't a good thing, but hopefully Alexej wouldn't mind too much.

"So, what I was going to say was, welcome to the club." Jamie finished and offered me his chips bag like a token of friendship.

Yes, it definitely was impossible to hate him.

"Thank you." I said and grabbed a few chips with my good hand. Not too many though, mindful of my weight. "So what do we do now?"

"I'll run some more, deeper background checks on that Doctor, while we wait for them to get back." Jamie answered. "If you are fit enough it would be great if you could get me another coffee."

"Sure." I popped the chips into my mouth and headed off to the kitchen. It just felt awesome to be so useful.


	9. Chapter 9

"This one?"

"Nope. Never seen him."

Jamie had dug up images of various business associates of the Doctor and was putting them up for me to check if I recognized any more of them from seeing them with my master. So far we had found none.

But I wasn't fully concentrating on the task at hand anyway. Something was nagging at the back of my mind. I was chewing my lower lip while I tried to remember what I could possibly have missed.

Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov hadn't returned yet, but then they had only been gone a little more than an hour. Was it something the Mistress had asked me to do? I was rather sure I had taken care of everything she had mentioned before me and Alexej had left for our shopping trip. At least everything that could be done with only one usable arm.

"Mauve, are you still with me?" Jamie interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes, I'm sorry." I said, chagrined. I should really be paying attention to the task at hand.

"You wanna take a break or something?" Jamie asked, looking slightly worried. "Getting shot isn't exactly the most relaxing past time and it's been a long day. Have you had anything decent to eat since breakfast?"

And that was the cue I needed to realize what had been worrying me. It was late afternoon already and Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov were out to arrest the Doctor. Who was picking up Shalice from school?

I tried to tell myself that Mistress Sirenkov would surely have thought of that. After all she never missed anything. But what if she hadn't and Shalice was standing in front of the school waiting? What if she tried to get home on her own and got into some kind of trouble? I really couldn't let that happen.

"Jamie, can you contact Mistress Sirenkov somehow?" I asked, ignoring his questions.

"'Drea? Yeah, I can call her on her cell phone." Jamie frowned at me. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure." I shrugged, suddenly not so sure anymore if it was my place to meddle. "I was just wondering who is picking up Shalice from school."

Jamie blinked at me in surprise. "Uh. I don't think 'Drea would forget about that." He said but didn't sound entirely convinced either.

"Can you please call her and make sure?" I asked.

He nodded and apparently used his connection to the computer to make the call. I couldn't hear Mistress Sirenkov, but I heard what he was saying. "Hey, 'Drea. No, everything is fine here. Did you get the Doctor? Oh. Well, that didn't go too badly, eh? Yeah. Mauve was wondering if someone was picking up Shalice. Ah, okay. Great. Yeah, I'll tell him. See ya soon."

Then he turned back to me smiling. "Shalice is spending the night sleeping over at a friend's place. 'Drea said thanks for thinking of her." He explained.

I almost blushed. Of course Mistress Sirenkov would have made sure to have Shalice out of the house for what she had originally planned for tonight. Once more I cursed the fate and my attacker for spoiling those plans.

"And they have the Doctor and are coming back with him." Jamie continued. "Apparently he first threatened to have their heads on a plate for daring to accuse him of anything and then Alexej got a little loud and now he has admitted everything. Whatever that means. I'll be really curious to learn what this is all about. 'Drea wouldn't say over the phone."

That of course sparked my curiosity as well. I really wanted to know what my late master had done to get himself killed. After all, I owed it to whatever mistake he had made that I was now with Alexej and the Mistress.

Jamie and I killed some more time looking at more imagines, but both of us weren't really with it anymore, waiting for Alexej and Mistress Sirenkov to get back with the Doctor.

So I immediately perked up when Jamie said: "Oh, they are back!" and replaced the latest image of some important college of the Doctor with the view from the security camera mounted over the HQ entrance.

Together we watched as they got out of the pick-up, Alexej with an incredibly grim expression, Mistress Sirenkov looking exasperated and slightly puzzled. They pulled the handcuffed Doctor out from the backseat. The guy looked unhurt but dishevelled and scared, and for a moment I almost pitied him. Then I reminded myself that he had ordered me killed and any pity evaporated. Alexej pushed him towards the entrance none to gently and then they disappeared inside.

"Wow, Alex looks really pissed." Jamie mirrored my thoughts aloud.

Together, we waited some more and finally they came up to the command centre after having deposited the Doctor in another holding cell.

Alexej didn't let us suffer from our curiosity any longer. "You won't believe what that bastard has done!" he exclaimed the moment he walked in. "That misbegotten son of a whore has sold the sperm of Casimir the Great!"

Both I and Jamie gaped at him in open horror. Even an uneducated single-use pet like me knew that name. Casimir the Great was THE most celebrated hog of recent Malicorn history. He won the award for Hog of the Year 4 times in a row, had been bred with the very best sows and produced exceptional offspring. He had died two years ago and been buried with all honours.

"I though he is dead?" I blurted out.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, he is. But they put quite a bit of his sperm in cryo-stasis to use later." He explained. "It's like a national treasure!"

"This whole planet is pig-shit-crazy with your obsession with pigs." Mistress Sirenkov groaned and walked right out the door again.

"She's originally from P2." Jamie supplied apologetically. "She doesn't get what a big deal this is."

I understood perfectly well. Malicorn pigs were famous for their quality all over the empire and their genetic material was guarded jealously. For one of the prime breeding hog's sperm to get off planet would be a severe blow.

"He sent that killer after you so his name wouldn't get out." Alexej explained. "But he's not the one who had our vic killed. He suspects it must be the buyer. He didn't know who that was apart from the fact that he was from off planet and willing to pay a lot."

"Or not so willing." Jamie mused. "What do you want to bet that the cryo-unit was in the briefcase they took?"

Alexej nodded. "Exactly." He tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. "Now how do we find that buyer?"

"Well," I ventured carefully, "my master has only been meeting with that Doctor and one other guy in the last few weeks. The problem is I have no idea what his name is and I only know what his pants look like."

"His pants?" Alexej asked apprehensively like he wasn't entirely sure he really wanted to know.

I nodded. "My master met him at the Silver Maiden in downtown." I explained. "But I was under the table sucking their cocks all the time."

This time I wasn't surprised by the look of murderous rage that came over Alexej. His hands clenched to fists and I could tell how much he needed to punch something.

Luckily Jamie was not fazed at all. "The Silver Maiden, you say? Do you remember when exactly you were there?"

"Last week on tuesday right after sundown." I answered. "And the week before that on monday, close to midnight." The few times I had been allowed out of the house were prominent enough I easily remembered.

"Awesome. The Silver Maiden has security cameras at the entrance." Jamie announced, rubbing his hands. "Let me check..."

Alexej nervously paced the room while I patiently waiting next to Jamie. It didn't take him long but Alexej looked like he was ready to spit fire by the time Jamie spoke again.

"Here we go. This is the only match I have found for both evenings." He said.

Another image came up in the holo display, this one grainy, black and white and only two dimensional. It showed a group of three men leaving what I recognized as the entrance of the Silver Maiden, one of the higher priced restaurants in downtown, mostly catering to tourists.

I leaned closer and tried to make out details. In the end, it were the shoes that helped me to be sure these were the right guys. Not only did I remember them from under the table, it were also the same ones I had observed from under the bed when my master had been shot.

"Yes, it's them." I confirmed.

"Do we have any way to find out a name with just that image of them?" Alexej asked.

Jamie shrugged. "I could cross reference it with all other security camera footage of the planet." He suggested. "But that will take time."

"We don't have time!" Alexej growled. "They'll try to get off planet as soon as possible now that they have the cryo-unit with the sperm."

"Does the spaceport have security cameras? Maybe you can catch him there." I suggested.

"Good one." Jamie nodded and concentrated again.

Alexej pulled his cell phone from his utility belt. "I'm calling the Duchess." He announced. "We'll need clearance to use the Psion's Guild on this one to get there fast enough." He hit a few buttons and moments later spoke into the phone. "Your Highness, please excuse the interruption but I believe this matter is very important..."

I watched him leave the command centre in silent awe. He had a direct number to call the Duchess! He really was a genuine hero.

While I was still nervously waiting for Jamie to come up with anything Mistress Sirenkov came back in, munching on a huge sandwich. I brought her up to date. By the time Alexej returned Jamie was still busy.

"The Duchess has authorized the use of all means necessary to get that sperm sample back." He said grimly. "We are to deliver the thief directly to the ducal dungeons. The good doctor and his bodyguard have already been ported there, so don't be surprised they are gone." He sounded almost a little gleeful when he added. "She is really, really pissed off. I wouldn't wanna be in the Doctor's shoes right now."

"Fuck." Jamie muttered suddenly. "He's gone. He and his entourage boarded a yacht three hours ago. They are already out of orbit."

We were all surprised when Alexej breathed a sigh of relief. Then he smiled maliciously. "I was afraid they might have taken a port off planet. Then they would probably have gotten away. But a space yacht is well within reach of the Psion's Guild. Do you have the name of the ship?"

"Nadirim." Jamie supplied.

"Good. Let me contact Prime Gabriel." Alexej closed his eyes and concentrated. 

Then I saw his lips move like he was soundlessly talking to someone. It looked outright creepy. I had no clue what he was saying but he seemed quite pleased with what he was hearing. 

While I watched him, the exhilaration I had felt at being able to help them and the excitement of putting the clues together to catch my master's murderer slowly faded and realisation dawned on me. My time to convince Alexej or Mistress Sirenkov to keep me had suddenly been cut very, very short. As soon as they captured the thief, their investigation would be complete and I would not be evidence anymore. Sudden dread threatened to choke me.

"Mauve?" Mistress Sirenkov laid a gentle hand on my arm. "Are you alright?"

Of course she had noticed. Considering how cold and small and exposed I suddenly felt and how she always noticed everything, that wasn't a surprise. I wasn't sure whether I should try to smile bravely or fall to my knees and simply beg and plead with her not to send me away.

She smiled at me reassuringly. "It's been a long day, sweety. Do you want to lay down on the couch in my office for a bit? This will probably still take a while."

I nodded numbly and allowed her to gently push me towards her office. In my mind I replayed what it would be like to be sold. Would they just drop me off at the slave market? What would a one-use pet with a useless arm be worth? Nothing. They'd be lucky to find a trader willing to pick me up at all.

"Sit down, Mauve." Mistress Sirenkov ordered me when we reached her office.

I obeyed and then blinked at her in confusion when she settled next to me.

"Okay, let's talk about this." She said. "You are panicking because you believe that now that we can close this case soon you will end up with another bastard of a master who will treat you like shit, yes?"

Her assessment was spot on, of course. I felt tears well up for the second time this day and even though it made me feel even more defenceless and weak I couldn't help it.

"Yes, Mistress." I replied in a small voice, staring down at the one hand in my lap.

"Right." Mistress Sirenkov shifted closer, put a finger under my chin and turned my face up and towards her. I glanced up at her, not sure what to expect. "I have been harping on Alexej to get us a slave to help with the housekeeping forever. But since he hates slavery, he has always been outraged at the idea. Now, you are obviously one of the least likely candidates for that job, but it will be very easy to convince him to keep you. So here's the deal: you will have to learn a truck load of things to be a real help to me. There will be no lying around prettily, waiting for a fuck. You'll have to work hard and study hard. Can you do that?"

For an endless moment I waiting for her to start laughing and call off this cruel joke but when she just kept looking at me with stern seriousness it dawned on me that she really meant that. That she was really offering me pretty much everything I could wish for. Never in my life had I enjoyed myself as much as in the last two days, actually doing something useful. Working and studying hard sounded like pure bliss compared to being chained to a bed and fucked raw.

It was entirely inappropriate but with a heartfelt sob of happiness I threw myself at her and hugged her with my good arm.

"Thank you, Mistress!" I somehow managed to choke out.

She gave a startled laugh and then gently hugged me back. "Hush, sweety." She said, stroking my hair, keeping me safe.

With all the tension and fear flowing away with my happy tears, it took me a while to get a hold of myself again. But finally I sat back up with some last sniffles and wiped my wet face with the hem of my shirt.

"I will be a perfect house slave." I promised solemnly. "I will learn everything you need me to and I will work hard and..."

"...and you will do lots of naughty things with my darling husband for me to enjoy." She finished with something I had not at all planned to say.

I actually blushed which made her laugh again. She tousled my hair fondly.

"It really has been a long day. I'll go check with Alexej if he still needs us here and if he doesn't the two of us can head home already." She said and got up form the couch.

Home. That simply word sounded pretty close to heaven. I leaned back against the back of the couch, feeling happy and very exhausted. 

I really only wanted to close my eyes for a moment, but I must have dozed off as I woke up from the feeling of gently being lifted into strong arms. I blinked at Alexej in confusion, who smiled down at me and was already carrying me out of the office.

"Did you get him?" I sleepily asked the first thing that came to my mind.

"Yes, we got him." Alexej said with grim satisfaction. "Malicorn Prime ported a whole squad of the Duchess' personal guard into the space yacht and they arrested all of those fuckers."

"Good." I snuggled closer against his broad chest, feeling content with not fully waking up. I was asleep again before we reached the car.


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up from the marvellous feeling of a big, warm hand caressing my shoulder, equally warm lips on my mouth, kissing me softy, and slightly scratchy stubble.

Those sensations wouldn't have necessarily meant something good if they hadn't also been combined with the earthy, male scent I by now associated with safety and happiness - Alexej.

Drowsily I blinked up at him, my still sleep muddled mind trying to come up with an explanation for him being in my bed.

By the time we had arrived back at the Sirenkov home it had already been dark, and I had only woken up briefly when Alexej extracted me from the pick-up. I couldn't even remember him getting me into bed. Now rose tinted sunlight streamed in through the windows.

Windows?

Even with Alexej's kisses distracting me, I was now awake enough to remember my little room only had one small window and the bed I was in was much too large. With a start I realized that I was in the master bedroom. Alexej was on my right side, his big warm body pressing against me. 

A quick glance to my left revealed Mistress Sirenkov at a polite distance, lying on her side, her head propped up on her hand, watching me and her husband with a dreamy smile. She wore a simple cotton nightshift and I realized a little startled how beautiful she was in her own way. Not luscious curves but taunt and lean she radiated confidence and power. She noticed me looking at her and her smile grew to a seedy grin. With a slight nod she directed my attention back towards Alexej.

Right. She was absolutely right. Ignoring that gorgeous man was close to a crime.

But he had noticed my distraction at well and stopped kissing me to instead grin down at me with just a hint of predatory hunger. "Good morning." He growled, sending a shudder of delight through my whole body.

Saying good morning as well would have been the right thing to do, but all I managed was smile at him like a very stupid bunny, hypnotized by the big bad wolf. Damn, I wanted this wolf to eat me so badly! Now that he held my full attention, my body was reacting to the proximity of him full force, my skin growing hot, my mind going all foggy and my cock getting hard so quickly it almost hurt.

I wanted to reach up, hug him and draw him back into some more kissing but that was when a sharp stab of pain in my left arm reminded me I had been shot just the previous day. Even a fast healer like me would need a little time to recover from a bullet wound.

Alexej noticed me wince in pain and leaned down again, placing another gentle kiss on my lips. "Ssh, little one. Just stay still." He whispered, working his way down my throat with kisses and gentle bites. "Let me take care of you."

How was anyone to argue with such an order? I whimpered some unintelligible agreement. 'Stay still' was an order I was familiar with, but coupled with 'let me take care of you' it turned into a delicious promise.

Someone had apparently peeled me out of my t-shirt the previous evening as Alexej's skilled kisses met only naked skin. My poor cock, however, was straining against the much too tight confines of my pants. Alexej himself only wore a pair of boxers, the whole expanse of his muscled, tanned body displayed for my viewing pleasure. And that of his wife, who was quite enjoying what she saw, judging by the happy purr I heard from her direction. I didn't spare her a glance. Watching Alexej work his way down my chest and belly had my attention glued to him.

When his tongue tickled my navel I thought I would come just from that and I couldn't help restlessly wriggling my hips, seeking some sort of release or at least friction.

Alexej smirked up at me. "I see you will need a little starter before the main course, hm?" he asked.

I had no clue what he meant, but his hand finding the buttons on my pants and popping them open one by one made me groan and twist some more. Then my cock sprang free and Alexej laughed at my eagerness. I watched wide-eyed as his mouth descended on me. He really, really shouldn't. After all I was the pet and I should be the one to...

Then delicious hot, tight wetness engulfed my cock as he swallowed me down. I wasn't that big, but it was still quite impressive how effortlessly he took me. Definitely experienced. The sensation was too much and I let my head fall back with my eyes clenched shut not to come straight away.

There was no mercy, though, as moment later I felt a warm breath against my ear and then Mistress Sirenkov whispered to me: "No, don't close your eyes. Look at him." 

I couldn't resist the pull of her words. I looked at Alexej again, how he greedily sucked on my cock like it was the best treat in the world. I could so relate to that notion.

"Look how much he enjoys this. Look how eager he is to please you." Her honeyed voice stroked my ego as much as her husband's tongue stroked my cock.

With a helpless cry of defeat I came, my senses shattering like a block of ice hit by a huge hammer.

"Mmh... so beautiful." Mistress Sirenkov praised me and I turned my face towards her like a flower turning towards the sun.

It all felt so wonderful to be appreciated. Then her lips met mine and I marvelled at how different they were from Alexej's; soft and yielding. We kissed and I swam on a wave of pleasure. Now there was only one thing missing to make this moment utterly perfect and apparently we were all in agreement about what that was. I eagerly spread my legs to allow Alexej all the access he could wish for when he nudged me.

I had wanted him to fuck me from the moment I first laid eyes on him and now that I had come I knew I would be able to fully enjoy it. I moaned as I felt slick fingers enter me, the sound muffled and caught in the kiss I still shared with Mistress Sirenkov. No, with my mistress. She was my mistress now. It was too good to be true, but there could be no doubt it was.

Getting fucked hard and fast was what I was used to but that didn't happen. Alexej took his time. At first I thought he was just taking care to properly prepare me, but as time wore on and I was begging -silently with the twisting of my hips and not so silently with frustrated groans and whimper - I learned how much he enjoyed toying with me. It was blissful torture.

In the end, it was once more my wonderful mistress who came to my rescue. "Stop teasing my little darling!" She sternly ordered Alexej. "Give him what he craves."

Alexej laughed and obeyed and I cried out in pleasure as he entered me with one long, smooth move. I bucked up against him, finally filled like I should be. It was wonderful, perfect, even better than I had imagined. He fit inside me like I had been made for him.

When he started to move I knew what making love to someone meant. This was it. This care and adoration. Their hands were all over me, caressing and stroking, creating a multitude of pleasure that slowly but unstoppably overloaded my senses. This was what I had been bred for: being enjoyed, not merely being used. I lost myself in all those sensations, lost myself in being cared for, being loved. I couldn't have said when Alexej came or if I came again. It was just one continuous rush of pleasure.

I came back to my senses from the feeling of a warm, wet washcloth cleaning cum and sweat from my skin.

My mistress was taking care of me with a sated smile. When she noticed me awake she leaned down and kissed me once more, soft and sweet and kind. I had no clue how I had ever thought she would give me away. My wonderful, beautiful mistress would never do such a thing to me.

"Did I do well?" I asked her, hoping that I had pleased her as much as she deserved.

"Very." She answered.

Then I glanced around the room, looking for Alexej. I didn't spot him but moments later he came back in from the bathroom, now wearing knee long cargo shorts.

"I'll be off for my morning run." He said.

My mistress smiled at him. "Don't we get a kiss before you go?" she asked cheekily.

"Why, of course you do!"

Alexej leaned down to her and kissed her deeply. I sighed in pleasure. I loved how they loved each other.

Then it was my turn and I felt I would melt under his care. I kissed him back hungrily and wouldn't have been able to stop if he hadn't pulled back.

"Enough, you insatiable little minx." He said with a grin and then left the master bedroom.

I realized my mistress and I were watching him go with much the same dreamy expression.

"He is quite something, isn't he?" my mistress asked.

I answered with a heartfelt: "Yes."

For a little longer I enjoyed the blissful, warm calm that had spread through my limbs after this wonderful wake-up call. But then I remembered what my mistress had told me the day before: I was not to lie around idle, waiting to get fucked. I felt filled with energy, invigorated, anyway.

"Do you want me to go make coffee and start preparing breakfast?" I asked my mistress hopefully.

She stretched like a lazy cat. "Yes, please do. I'll go and have a quick shower." She said and smiled at me. "And then I'll join you for a mug of coffee on the porch and we can watch Alexej come back from his jog."

Just like we had done yesterday. Just like we would do a great many times in the future. Life suddenly was entirely perfect.


End file.
